Engagements, Mothers, and All That's In Between
by filesfreak4life
Summary: A JavaJunkie story that follows the twists and turns of Luke and Lorelai, with a fun twist of adding a favorite character of mine, Mia.
1. A night of Stars

"So… what do you think" he says, holding up an open, small black velvet box to her inspection. "Will she like it?"

"I have a feeling that she'll love it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I do."

They sit in silence in the kitchen of the Gilmore house, sharing this secret moment together, both with different smiles on their faces, but thinking the same thing… finally.

"Rory?"

"Yeah?"

"Is this okay?... I mean, I don't think I ever asked you about this….but it matters to me and to your mom what you think about this whole thing."

"Luke, I'm not so much in the picture any more. I only have this summer and next at home, and after that, who knows where I'll end up."

"I know that, but I also know that you and your mother are freakishly connected, and she's going to want to know what you think, so I want to make sure that you're okay."

"Honestly?"

"Of course" he says getting a bit nervous.

"I don't think that I've ever really had the chance to tell you how much you have meant to me all these years. You've always been there for me and mom, and I can't say that about most people. Of all the people she's seen, I don't think that I've ever seen her as happy as when she's with you, and that means the world to me. You two are so perfect for each other, and have been for a long time, but you were too stubborn to tell her, and she was too stubborn to admit it. Now that you're together, I know that it's meant to be. As stupid as this sounds, I couldn't really see anyone as my dad but you, Luke."

"Rory…"

"No… it's true. I'm not sad about it or wishing that _he_ was there more often, I'm just recognizing who the real family is. That, my friend, includes you, unofficially and soon to be officially." she says, shaking her finger in his direction and smiling.

"So you're good."

"I'm fabulous."

He laughs, and stands up from the kitchen table. Rory makes her way over to him and puts her arms around his middle, hugging him tight. He awkwardly returns the gesture, putting his arms loosely around her, but still smiling while doing so.

"So… when are you going to do it?"

"I'm thinking tomorrow night, after she gets back from the weekly dinner."

"Oooh! I'll stay by the phone!"

"Actually, why don't you come home for this weekend. That way you girls can get all of your giggling and screaming out of the way in person."

"I think I can manage that."

"Good…well…I better get back to the diner then."

"All right, see you later Luke!"

He waves as he goes out the back door onto the porch, clutching the small black box in his hand.

THE NEXT NIGHT (FRIDAY)

"ARRRRGGG… that woman makes me soooo mad!"

"Mom, calm down, you'll be fine."

"Well, I started coming back to these things to make an effort, and she's obviously not picking up on that idea."

"Just let it go."

"Easy for you to say. She only has nice things to say to you, you're the perfect one. Me on the other hand, I'm her untenderized meat."

"What?"

"You know, they've got those little hammers with the spikes… for the meat… and you pound…" she says, making a pounding motion on the steering wheel of the jeep.

"Umm.."

"I was watching Sookie cook today."

"And she was beating the meat?"

"Dirty"

"Mom!"

"Well, I need something to brighten up my evening…and a dirty certainly clears part of the Emily Gilmore landfill that currently resides in my brain."

"Well, I'm glad."

"I wonder what Luke's doing here." Lorelai says, pulling the jeep up their driveway, parking it and getting out of the car.

"Hey!" he says, walking up to her, giving a quick peck on the lips.

"What's up?" she says with curiousity.

"Hey Luke!"

"Oh, hey Rory! Do you mind if I steal your mom for a bit?"

"Sure, take her. Be careful though, cause she's feeling like untenderized meat."

"Ummm… okay…" he says, lowering his brow and turning to Lorelai. "Do I want to know what she means by that?"

"Emily"

"Ah, I see."

"So what are you doing here? Why are you stealing me?"

"Because I want to show you something, come on."

He grabs her hand in his, and they walk silently to the small lake in town, where he has a blanket laid out on the grass, and two pillows side by side.

"I didn't know that you were into outdoor sex!"

"Lorelai." he says in an annoyed tone.

"What, you bring me out here and I see a blanket and two pillows, and it's the middle of the night… I don't know."

"Come on, let's lay down."

As they lay down, they look up into the clear night sky, filled with thousands of stars.

"Pretty."

"Yeah, it's gorgeous here on a clear night."

"I don't think that I've ever really looked up at the stars on a night like this…is this what you wanted to show me?"

"Well, yeah… see, you have snow. You and snow have always gotten along, well save for this year, when you thought that it was trying to severely screw you over."

"You fixed that though…" she interjects quickly.

"yeah, well…anyways…my snow is stars. Everything that is good has happened on a clear night like tonight for me. The first time I actually let myself realize that my dad would have been proud of what I've done was when I was staring up at this crazy sky. So many other things…. and if you remember, when Liz and TJ got married and we had our first dance, it was on a night like this."

"Ah, the date that I didn't want to admit was a date, but most definitely was a date."

"Uh… sure, that."

"What else?"

"What do you mean?"

"What else has happened?"

As he lays beside her, he silently pulls out the box, opening it. He takes a deep breath, and says, "This…" and puts the box in her view, holding it above her.

"Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Well, that depends… what do you think that is?"

"A big shiny diamond that's all for me…"

"In that case, yes…well, you have to answer some questions before you can have it though." he smiles, sitting up beside her, and turning to face her.

Sitting up, she slams her fists into the ground. "Damn it… I've always sucked at tests."

"I'm hoping that you pass this with flying colors."

"So am I."

"Lorelai, you know that I love you, right?"

"I'm pretty aware of that sentiment, yes."

"And you know that I would do anything for you in a heartbeat, right?"

"Also aware, yes."

"Well, I want you to know that I plan on loving you and being there for you for the rest of my life, and I really hope that you feel the same way…" letting out a shaky breath he pauses, and takes the ring out of its case. "Lorelai Gilmore, will you marry me?"

"Oh my God yes!" she says, with a tear sliding down her cheek.

He places the ring on her finger, and pulls her to him for a lingering kiss.

"Luke, I love you so much"

"I know Lorelai, I know…"

She sits herself up again, looking at her newly decorated left hand. "Oh my gosh! I have to tell Rory! Can we go tell Rory?"

"That was the plan!" he said, standing up, and putting his arms out to help her up.

"She knew about this!"

"Of course she did, that's why she's home this weekend. I wanted to make sure that the ring was sufficient, and I knew that you guys would want to scream together for a little while."

"You are the perfect man, you realize this, don't you?" she says sincerely, while standing up to meet his lips with her own.

"Well, I try."

After rolling up the blanket and pillows, the two walk arm in arm back to the house, where an impatient Rory is waiting on the porch.

"MOM?" She says, putting her book down, standing up quickly.

"Uh huh!" she shouts, waving her left hand, and starting to run towards her daughter.

"AHHHHHHHH!"

"AHHHHHHHH!"

The two met in the yard, hugging and jumping. Calming only for a minute while Rory examined the ring on her mother's finger.

"What the hell is going on out here?" came the hoarse shout from Babette.

"ummm…." Lorelai stops, looking to Luke for permission to tell her, which was just as good as screaming it all out to Star's Hallow.

Luke nods, casually throwing his arms in front of himself to let her continue.

"I'm ENGAGED!"

"What! Oh my God… Morey! Get out here!" Babette screams, running down to meet the girls. "Let me see the ring doll!"

Lorelai extends her hand to show Babette the new ring. "Wow, who knew that Luke had such taste!"

Standing at his truck, he casts a glance downward, blushing a bit at the compliment.

"Oh my Gosh, I have to call Sookie!"

The night went on, and after a lot of screaming, jumping, and hand waving, all were exhausted. Promised by Babette, the whole town would know by the time Lorelai got into the diner for her morning dose of Java.

As the week rolled by, everyone got wind of the Luke/Lorelai engagement, and the whole town had congratulated both of them, with the women practically pulling her arm out of the socket, and the men, being manly, offering Luke a hard pat on the back. All was well, and all were informed. Well…the parents weren't informed, but that was a completely different story. The plan was to invite them to Stars Hallow sometime soon to announce the engagement, however the date of this announcement wasn't something that Lorelai was particularly worried about. She didn't want anyone to spoil her fun, and Emily Gilmore's reaction to her marrying the "dinerman" was certainly going to be enough to spoil anything.


	2. Mia's Back

A FEW WEEKS LATER

THE DRAGONFLY INN

The inn was off at lightning speed, and reservations were pouring in for the summer months ahead. Filling in for Michele, Lorelai was busy on the phone with a guest when a familiar face walked through the door, surveying their surroundings. Engrossed in the phone call and placing all the information in the computer, Lorelai didn't notice as this person approached the front desk. Placing the phone back on the hook, and typing in the last of what she needed, her thoughts were interrupted.

"I'm sure that a classy place like this is booked solid for years to come, but you wouldn't happen to have a room for an old lady to stay in for a few days, would you?"

"Oh my God, MIA!" Lorelai screams with wide eyes, coming around the counter to hug the woman who was like a second mother to her.

"Oh, Lorelai! It has been so long!"

"When the Independence closed, I didn't know if we were going to see you again."

"Well, I'm glad that things happened the way they did, because if we were still open, I'm sure that you would have run us out of business." she says, looking around the inn.

"Oh Mia! I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too Lorelai, so much." she answers, pulling in for another hug. "Where's my other girl?"

"School, but she's not too far away, and I'm sure that she'll be here as quick as she can when she hears that you're here!"

"Well, Boston's a few hours, isn't it?"

"Yes, but New Haven is only a half hour away."

"New Haven? No Harvard?"

"She decided to go to Yale!"

"Oh my, I really have missed a lot!"

With a smile of agreement, she grasps onto Mia's hand in a gesture of love. As Mia looks down, she smoothes her finger over the engagement ring.

"Obviously!"

Lorelai blushes, and again admires her ring.

"Who is the lucky man?"

"Well, if you give me a minute, I'll get someone to cover the front desk, and we can go meet him?"

"I don't think that you could stop me!"

After getting the front desk covered, Lorelai and Mia make their way across town, strolling slowly on the sidewalk toward Luke's.

When they enter the diner, Luke glances up to meet the eyes of his fiancé, and then glances to her side to see another love of his life, Mia.

"Mia! What are you doing here?" he says, embracing the woman.

"Lucas! I came to see how you kids are all doing! I miss the town so much!"

"Well, we're glad to have you back!"

"Supposedly we've also come here to meet the one who has tamed this crazy one…" she says gesturing to Lorelai.

"I see…"

"So, where is he?" she pulls Lorelai into a tight hug, scanning the diner for potential men.

"Oh, he's here... Let's see, I'll describe him for you. He's wearing an outfit similar to a lumberjack, a scowling expression, and a trademark that has landed me the nickname of Mrs. Backwards Baseball Cap."

Mia scans the diner, the description sounding familiar to her, but not sinking in as to who it was. Her face dropping into a frown at not being able to pick out Lorelai's love, she turns to the two before her, quickly noticing their close proximity to one another.

"Lucas!"

"Yeah, Mia, we're getting married…" Luke says in a relaxed tone.

"Oh this is WONDERFUL!"

"I thought you would think so." Says Lorelai, guiding them to a table, and sneaking a kiss from Luke before sitting down.

"So what do you want?"

"Aside from you, a million dollars, and about a hundred pairs of Jimmy Choos?"

"Yeah, well, you've already got me, the inn's on its way, and what the hell are Jimmy Choos?"

Lorelai gasps, clutching her chest. "That's it! The engagement is off! Jimmy Choos are only the BEST boots like ever Luke!"

"My mistake… can you please order something? I've got other people waiting here."

"I'll have the usual. Mia?"

"Oh, I don't know, can I get the Monte Cristo sandwhich?"

"HA!"

"What? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, Mia, you didn't say anything wrong. I'm just in for a big I told you so sometime soon."

"Oh… okay?" Mia says, with a look of uncertainty, turning to Lorelai.

"Don't worry about it, he just took it of the menu when he made new ones, and we lectured him about how it should still be on there, and how we never ordered it, but there was comfort in knowing that we could order it…long story."

Mia laughs as she places her hands atop Lorelai's. "I did miss you over these past few years! I should have called or come seen you when the Independence burnt down."

"I was surprised that you didn't, actually."

"So… are you going to tell me how this…" she gestures between Lorelai's hand and Luke at the counter. "got started?"

"Well, talk about long stories!"

"I'm sure it's a good one"

"Oh, and that is true! Well, he invited me to his sister's wedding, and I was utterly clueless as to his true intentions, and certainly didn't think that it was a date of any sort. And we talked, and we laughed, and we even DANCED!"

"Well, Lucas was always good on his feet! I remember the young gentleman that would always invite me on the dance floor at all the town shindigs."

"Luke, you were SO holding out on me!" she yells across the diner at him, which gets her a glare and a smile all in the same few seconds.

"But anyways, he walked me home, and then asked me out to a movie, and still being an idiot, and not understanding what he really meant, I said yes."

"You would have said no if you knew that it was meant to be a date?"

"No… yes… I don't know. It freaked me out! And then I started thinking about the town, and how they all said-"

"That he's always had a spark for you… yes, I know."

"See, now if you would have told me that, I might have listened!"

"No, you wouldn't have, you are always so stubborn with things like this!" she laughs, still intrigued by the story.

"Yeah, well… I freaked out because I didn't know if I was actually dating Luke, and I asked Rory, and she freaked out too, because it was Luke, and it was big and crazy, and he kept us in caffeine. Then, the inn had a test run that weekend, and he came, and he brought me flowers, and then things got all messed up, and my ex boyfriend showed up telling him that he and I were still together…then… out of nowhere, but certainly a long time coming, we kissed!" she says quickly in true Lorelai fashion, with hand flying everywhere, aiding her in telling the story.

"So dramatic and so…"

"Days of our Lives? Yeah, that's what I thought, but hey, a kiss is a kiss, and Luke is Luke!"

"That I am." Luke says, carrying the two orders to the table, and placing them in front of Lorelai and Mia. "You two having fun catching up?"

"Certainly! Lorelai has been telling me about how this lovely romance came to be…"

"Lorelai…"

"Man! I was just getting to telling her about that thing that you…"

He shoots her a glare, and gets instantly red and the insinuation.

"Awww, don't worry Luke, I'm giving her the PG rated version."

With that, he walks away from the table in a huff.

"And then he flips me over, and he…" she says loudly so she knows that Luke can hear.

"LORELAI!"

"Just kidding!" She screams back at him.

"You two certainly are meant to be… So, go on, tell me more…"

"Well, we went out for about five months, and all was going well, and then Emily had to interfere."

"Oh no."

"Yeah, you can say that again. She and my father decided to have a renewal of their vows after a small separation, and of course we were invited. What we didn't know, is that my mother invited Christopher as well, in an attempt to break up mine and Luke's relationship."

"Well, she obviously didn't succeed, thank goodness!"

"No, she did. We broke up for awhile, and I took it pretty hard. I completely ignored my mother, and Rory shut her out, and she knew that she had messed up big time, so she went to Luke and told him that she didn't know why, but I chose him, and she wouldn't stand in the way of that anymore."

"That certainly doesn't sound like your mother to me."

"Oh, apologizing and trying to fix her mistake, not caring about the damage that has already been done, and only thinking about what she lost out of the deal… yes, that certainly sounds like Emily Gilmore!"

"In that kind of light, I guess it does."

"He came over that night, and I opened the door, and found myself instantly in his arms, and from there on out, we've gotten here! He proposed two weeks ago under the stars after asking Rory for her permission, and I said yes, and you see us now."

"Well, that certainly is a wonderful story!"

"I think so too."

"What did Emily say?"

"What do you mean?"

"About the engagement."

Lorelai visibly flinched. Telling Emily was something that she has thought about, but doesn't really want to do right now. After all the pain that her mother has caused with this relationship, she didn't want to give her another thing to try to destroy.

"I see."

"I just don't want her to ruin it Mia."

"I understand that, but she is your mother Lorelai, and she will be happy for you, I'm sure."

Lorelai scoffs, putting her hands in her lap, playing nervously with her fingers. "Mia, you were always more like a mother to me than she was. In my eyes, my family already knows."

"She cares Lorelai, you have to know that."

"Yeah, well, if she does care, she sure doesn't show it."

Stopping for a moment to consider what Lorelai was saying, Mia recalled the last time she was in town. "Did I ever tell you that I finally did meet your mother?"

"What? When?"

"Last time I was in town, nearly 4 years ago. Your mother came to the Independence, wanting to meet me."

"She never told me… _you_ never told me about that."

"I know. She asked me not to."

"Well, what did she say?"

"I believe that she said that she wanted to meet the woman that raised you. I explained why I helped you all those years ago, when you came to the front door with Rory in tow asking for a job, and she wondered why I never sent you back home. To that I had no answer. Before she left, she asked me if I had any pictures from back then, and told me to not tell you that I came."

Lorelai was still in her seat, stunned that her mother made that effort so long ago.

"She does care about you. I just think that she's hurt too."

"_She's_ hurt?"

"Think about it Lorelai…"

Glancing at her watch, Mia remembers that she is meeting an old friend in Litchfield, and assures Lorelai that she will be seeing her soon. Bending down, she gives her a quick hug, and again tells her to reconsider telling her mother about the engagement.

"Mia, are you leaving already?" Luke says, coming around the counter to hug her.

"I have to meet a friend, but I'll be here for a few days, so I'm sure that you will see me again before I leave." She says returning the hug.

"We'll be seeing you then!"

"You certainly will… oh, and Lucas… I really am so happy that you two found each other. You are both like children to me, and that means so much."

Grabbing her in another quick hug, he whispers thank you in her ear and let's her go, turning then to where Lorelai remained sitting. She sat in a daze at the table alone, not noticing him coming to sit beside her.

"Lorelai?"

Snapping out of it, she replies, "Huh? What?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"Oh, um… nothing… just something that Mia said."

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I just have to figure something out…actually I think that I just did."

"And?"

"I'm going to go see my mother." She says with a determined look on her face.

"What?… okay?"

"I'll see you later tonight, okay?"

Giving him a quick kiss, she flies out of the diner and hurries to the Dragonfly to pick up her car for the trip to Hartford.

_All right… so what do you think so far? Is it okay? I don't know what I'm going to have happen with Emily yet, but I definitely want this fic to have Mia in it! I think only one episode with her in it totally wasn't enough, because I LOVED her character and wished that they could have had more with her. That's why I'm doing this fic, for more Mia! Anyways… throw me any suggestions, and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!_


	3. Emily Strikes Again

THE GILMORE MANSION

Before knocking on the front door of her childhood prison, Lorelai glanced down at her hand, admiring her ring once more before taking it off an slipping it into her pocket. She didn't want to drop that bomb unless Luke was with her. She straightened herself up and pushed the doorbell.

"Yes?" a polite, new maid answered the door.

"Yeah, you're new, I'm used to this… I'm the daughter, I'm sane, you don't have to worry about me. Where's my mother?"

"I believe that Mrs. Gilmore is in the study."

"Okay, thank you."

As she is rounding heading towards the study, she meets her mother coming out.

"Lorelai?"

"Hi, mom, um… I wanted to come say hi."

"In the middle of the day? I thought that you had work, and I thought that Sookie just had another baby?"

"Both of those statements are true, yes, but I took the day off."

"To come have a little chat with me?" she said walking into the living room for them to have a place to sit down.

"Well, no… actually, Mia came into town today, and she was going to be staying for a while at the Dragonfly, so we went out to lunch."

Visibly shrinking at the mention of her name, Emily replied, unimpressed, "Oh, I see."

Noticing this, Lorelai knew she had to proceed with caution if she wanted to get anywhere with Emily Gilmore. "Mom?"

"Yes, what did you come all the way out here to talk to me about?"

"Why didn't you want me to know that you met Mia?"

Again, she flinched. "What are you talking about."

"Well, you came up when we were catching up, and she mentioned that the two of you met when she was in town last."

"Yes, we did." she said in a haughty tone, not wanting to divulge any more information.

"Why? After all those years, why did you meet her?"

"Well, I'm sorry to rain in on your parade Lorelai, but I wanted to meet the woman! I know that you want this life that you have completely separate from us, but I felt that I had the right to meet the woman who saw my granddaughter grow up, and who was apparently playing mother to my daughter all of those years!" She came back angrily, standing up in a rush.

"Mom! I'm not mad at you for meeting Mia! I just wanted to know why you did it, and why you told her not to tell me." she stayed on the couch, not meeting Emily's gaze, but staring at the floor, letting her words come out at nearly a mumble.

Sitting back down, Emily gained her composure. "You ran to her and you never came back…I wanted to know why… who she was that made you want to stay with her instead of with your father and I."

"Mom, I didn't run to her, I ran to anywhere that would take me, and Mia came with the package that took me."

"She seemed awfully fond of you and Rory, and from what little you have said about her, I know that you feel the same about her."

With a look of sympathy at her mother, she was finally beginning to understand what Mia had said. "Mom, I do… it's just different."

"Well, I wanted to see why it was so different. I still don't understand it!" she says calmly, but with her voice raising again at the last declaration.

"I don't think that you ever will then…Mom?"

"What?"

"Can Luke come, at least this week, to dinner?"

Something flashed in her eyes at the mention of Luke as well. It was as if all the people in the life she worked so hard for didn't meet up to the standards of Emily Gilmore, well… except Rory of course.

"Certainly…" she said, visibly straining to say the words.

"All right, well, I'll will see you tomorrow night then?"

"I guess that you will."

Lorelai stood up from the couch, and walked towards the entryway, pausing with her back towards Emily, who still remained on the seat that was opposite of where Lorelai had been.

"I'm sorry… I know that I was hurting, but you were hurting too, and I just want you to know that I'm sorry."

With that admission, she walked out the door, a huge weight lifted off of her shoulder.

Back inside the house, a stunned Emily, remained in her seat, trying to comprehend what her daughter just said. It was true, she was hurting back then, and half of the problems that they face now probably stem from that very hurt. It was never this clear to her though.

LUKES DINER

As Luke came down the stairs, he noticed Lorelai perched on a stool at the counter. Her expression mirrored the glassy eyed gaze that he saw this morning. Coming up next to her, he lightly touched her shoulder.

"You okay?"

Snapping out of her gaze, she turned to him and smiled, grabbing his shirt and pulling him in for a kiss.

"I'll take that as a yes?"

"You can definitely do that."

"You _were_ just with your mother right?" he said with the patented Luke Dane eyebrow raise and shocked expression.

"Yes, I was… oh, and you are coming with me to Friday night dinner tomorrow!"

"What, no… not again… you remember what happened last time we tried that! The nitwit juice, the rustic meaning crap pile…I don't think that I could take that."

"We're going to tell them about our engagement."

"What? Are you sure?"

"Yes. Luke, you and I are so different than anything else that I've had. Sorry, to bring up a past relationship, but with Max, I was engaged for a few months before telling my mother, and she found out because Sookie invited her to our engagement party. That can't happen again… I may not always get along with that woman, but she deserves this."

"If that is what you want, then that is what you get."

"So easily you give in?" She looks down at what she's wearing, and makes a big show of patting her hair down.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm just checking to see if I'm in a black dress, a short skirt, or if I've recently flipped my hair… because that happened way to easily."

"Did you ever think that maybe it's because I love you?"

"Nope, never crossed my mind." she said casually, spinning back to the counter on her stool, and taking her coffee cup in hand.

Luke sat beside her, shaking his head. "What am I thinking?"

THE NEXT EVENING AT THE GILMORE MANSION

"Okay, are we ready?"

"Yes, we are."

"But are we sure that we're ready?"

"Yes, Lorelai, we are!"

"Luke, I don't think that we're ready…"

"Oh my God, MOM! You're ready, now ring the bell already!"

Looking between the two of them, she notices an annoyed look on Rory's face, and a laughing smirk on the face of her love.

"Sooo not fair, cause she took your side."

"Lorelai, ring the bell!"

"Ringing" she says as she pushes the button for the doorbell.

"Hello again!"

"Wow, you're still here? She must actually think you're a human being!" Lorelai says, handing the maid her coat and walking into the entryway. This is followed by Luke who tells her thank-you, and Rory, who then turns to the maid, whispering something in her ear.

Noticing this, Luke turns to ask Rory what she said. "I told her that mom was of her meds again"

"Good plan." he says nodding quickly.

Just then, Emily walks into the entryway, gesturing for them to come inside while saying their quick greetings. With the drinks quickly passed out, Emily explains that Richard had to go away quickly on a business trip, and the four then sat uncomfortably in silence.

Lorelai, squeezes Luke's knee cap, signaling that it was time, and begins her speech. "Mom, … um… we kind of have an announcement that we would like to share with you…" seeing no response forthcoming from her mother, she continues unsteadily. "Well, two weeks ago, Luke proposed, and I accepted…" still no reaction. "So… we're getting married…"

Finally, Emily stands up abruptly, and the next words out of her mouth are not what Lorelai could have imagined.

"So, how far along are you?"

"WHAT!"

"When is the baby due?"

"Again, WHAT? I'm not pregnant!"

"Oh, well, I just assumed…"

"You _assumed_? You assumed that the only way that I would ever consider getting married is if the guy knocked me up! You have got to be –", she couldn't even finish her sentence, and fled from the house, running into the Jeep.

"I think that we're done here." Luke said, in a calm voice, loaded with unspoken anger. He then turns to Rory, with a look of concern. "I'm going to take your mom back home, but you can stay and have dinner with your grandmother, and I'll pay for a cab or come pick you up later…"

"No, I don't want to stay." she says, not allowing her eyes to stray from Luke's.

The two quietly walk out to the Jeep, and getting in, drive the distance back to Stars Hallow, with a tearful Lorelai in the back seat.

"I can't believe that she had the nerve to think that the only reason we were getting married is because I was pregnant. She didn't even say congratulations! It was supposed to be different this time! She was supposed to be happy for me, and be glad that I was finally doing it right."

"It's me…" Luke says, getting a look of disappointment across his features.

"Luke, no. Don't pull this I'm not good enough crap on me again. I choose you, and whether or not Richard and Emily Gilmore are in the picture doesn't matter to me. You, however have to stay in the picture."

"Lorelai…"

"Luke, she's right, they're crazy… well Grandma much more so than Grandpa, but you are most definitely good enough for mom, for me, for all of it."

"That woman really does tend to get on your last nerve doesn't she?"

"Get on it? Hell she grabs it, twists it, stretches it, and then plays jump rope with it."

Grabbing behind him, he grasps onto her hand. "You okay?"

"I will be."

The rest of the car ride is in silence, and the group makes their way back in the house.

"I'm actually kinda tired, so I think I'm going to do a little bit of studying and then head to bed."

"Okay, hon, sleep sweet."

"Night mom" she says, leaning in to give Lorelai a kiss on the cheek, and repeats the same gesture, saying goodnight to Luke.

"Oh… uh… Night Rory."

"Wow… she must really like you…"

"Yeah, well I tend to have that effect on Gilmore women… well some of them at least."

Even a joke to the situation can't stop Lorelai from becoming upset again. He guides them to the living room, sitting down with her in his arms, letting her cry.

Little did the two know that the reason for her tears was standing out on the front porch of the house, looking in on the couple. With an open window, she could hear every uttered word between the pair.

"Hey, it's okay… it will be okay."

"How do you know it'll be okay?"

"Because I know you, and I know us, and it usually works out all right after Emily has done her damage."

Wiping her eyes, she looks up at him. "Luke, I'm so sorry that you get dragged into all of this crap."

"I love you don't I?"

"I don't know, do you?"

"Lorelai, shut up… it comes with the territory, and I knew that coming in. Nothing could make me love you less, and you know that."

"I do… I'm…" with this, she allows her emotion to again take over, crying silently into his chest as he lovingly whispers, "It's okay… I love you… Lorelai, it'll be okay…"

That was all that she needed to see. With a quick wipe to her face to get rid of a tear making its way down her cheek, she turned and left down the porch.

_So I agreed that Emily should be nice in this fic, but I thought that we still needed some characteristic Emily insaneness... The good will come in the next chapter... I promise! More Mia to come as well! I hope that you guys are enjoying this, cause I'm having a blast writing it!_


	4. Stop the Buzzing

The next week rolled by without further incident with Emily. The girls skipped their Friday night dinner, and stayed in their separate places, Rory catching up on articles at Yale, and Luke and Lorelai sitting in front of the television for a movie night.

"Luke, do you really like doing this, or are you just humoring me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean this whole movie night thing. It was a Rory and me thing for a long time, and kind of became habit, but it's not something that the two of us have to always do."

"Lorelai, I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't enjoy it, and besides… since we put the 'no more that one weepy chick flick a month' rule in place, I am perfectly content curling up on the couch here with you."

"Aww, Luke, you're so good to me…" she leans up into him for a kiss, letting it linger as the two lay curled together on the couch.

A few minutes into their little make out session, the pair was pulled apart by the annoying ring of the telephone.

"It's okay, let the machine get it."

"That was my plan all along."

They resume their previous positions until they hear the voice coming from the answering machine, certainly ruining the mood that they had.

"_Lorelai, it's your mother. I'm not calling you to yell at you for not coming to dinner tonight, but I wanted to let you know that I'm sorry. I know that my behavior was inexcusable last week, and I hope that you can forgive me. I wanted to call earlier this week, but knew that you needed some time to cool off. Well…hopefully I'll talk to you soon then…have a good evening."_

"Wow, that actually sounded genuine!" Lorelai said to Luke with a shocked expression on her face. She then settled back into his embrace, and decided to start the movie. Just as she pushed play, the phone rang again.

"_I'm sorry to bother you again, but… Lorelai… congratulations. I know that I never told you that, but I'm happy for you, and though you may not think I think so, I know that Luke is a good man. Your father also sends his congratulations as well. Yes, well, that's it then… good night."_

He looked down into her face, wanting a reaction from her of some sort, but finding her with a deadpan expression.

"I'm still processing." she says with a sigh.

"Okay, just making sure." he replies, hugging her more closely as they start to focus in on the movie.

THE NEXT MORNING

His alarm clock was set early this morning because of an early delivery. He remembered then that he was still at Lorelai's, in her bed, which they stumbled to after a long night of movie watching and necking like teenagers.

"buzzing… stop the buzzing…" she mumbles, reaching a hand behind her and smacking what she thought was the alarm.

"Ow… Lorelai!" he shouts, rubbing his cheek where she hit him in her waking.

"Luke… buzz… no more… stop!"

Turning in bed to attend to the ringing on the nightstand, he tells her that he's working on it, hits the button and lays back down.

"This is why we go to bed early on the nights that I have my early deliveries."

"Stupid early! We talked about how I hate early… remember? I wanted to kill it… why did it come back?" she says with a slurred speech, still not allowing her eyes to open.

He laughs, and pulls her to him, kissing her hair while squeezing her tight. After a few minutes, she appears to be back in her slumber, and he quietly rolls out of bed, puts on his clothes, and makes his way to the diner.

A few hours later, Lorelai is awoken by a subtle knocking on her front door. Looking at the clock, she rolls out of bed and looks out her window, noticing an unfamiliar car parked outside her house. Pulling on her favorite Luke flannel, she made her way down the stairs and to the front door. Opening it, she was pleased to find Mia.

Looking at Lorelai's disheveled appearance, she asked, "I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

"No, I just woke up, I'm sorry Mia…"

"You and Lucas sleep in on Saturdays I see…"

"Me AND Luke… no… me… yes… Luke and his happy little buzzing alarm were up at like… I don't know… the butt crack of dawn this morning. I semi-awaken, mumble, possibly hit him, say something about shoes, and then go back to sleep."

"So it's a good arrangement that you have then?"

"Most definitely! Can I get you some coffee Mia?"

"That would be wonderful!" she said, setting her bag on the table in the entryway.

"So… what's with the surprise?"

"Well, I was hoping that the two of us could get re-acquainted, maybe do some shopping in Hartford, swing by to pick up the little one on the way?"

"Well that sounds great… except for the Hartford thing…"

"What? Why?"

"Emily…"

"Your mother has feelings too, and you two just have to work it out. Just remember that…"

"I know that, and I tried to. In fact, I went to her and I talked with her, telling her that I was sorry for what happened back then, and asked her why it was that she never told me about meeting you."

"And?"

"Nothing, but then later on that week, Luke and I told her that we were getting married…."

"She must have been thrilled!"

"No… she thought that I was pregnant… which according to Emily Gilmore is the only reason why her daughter, queen disappointment, would ever think to get married."

"She doesn't think that…"

"I believe that I said that Luke and I were getting married, and I'm pretty sure the next words out of her mouth were 'How far along are you?' Pretty darned sure that's what she thinks."

"Give it time Lorelai, give it time." Mia sighed, sipping on her coffee.

Soon after, Mia shooed her up to the shower, and waited patiently in the kitchen for Lorelai's return. After sitting for a few moments, she pulled out a tattered piece of paper from her purse in the entryway. Staring at it for a few moments, she pulled out the cell phone she used for emergencies and dialed the number written on it.

"_Gilmore residence."_

"Yes, can I speak to Mrs. Gilmore please?"

"_Can I tell her who is calling?"_

"It's an old friend, Mia."

"_Very well then, hold one moment"_

She waited nervously, glancing at the steps every few moments. Finally the silence on the other end of the line was broken when Emily said hello.

"Emily…it's Mia…"

"_What's happened! Is Lorelai all right!" _she said in a frantic voice, concerned as to why the woman would call her.

"Everything is fine Emily… I just wanted to let you know that we're going to be in Hartford later today doing a little shopping, and I wanted to let you know that if you would by chance run into us, I'm sure that all sides will be heard."

"_Though I do appreciate your concern for my daughter, Mia, I don't appreciate you assuming that I'm such a horrible mother that I can't talk to my own daughter without incident."_

"Well, then Lorelai lied to me when she said that the news of her engagement to Lucas was met with an insinuation that she was pregnant then?"

There was a long pause after the accusation, and Mia knew that it was true, not that she ever doubted Lorelai for a second.

"_Well, it's been nice chatting with you, but my attentions are needed elsewhere. I do apologize."_

"It was a leap that I had to take. She needs a mother, and I'm certainly not it."

"_Yes…well"_

"I will tell you though, that I wish that I was. I don't think that I could be more proud of that young woman than if I had bore her myself. She has a great head on her shoulders, has raised a beautiful daughter all on her own, become the owner of a first class inn, and finally found the perfect man to settle herself down with. She has created quite the life for herself, and I'm so happy for her. I only wish the same for you."

"_Again, thank you, but I really must be going…"_

"Goodbye Emily."

There was no return but a click and the dial tone. She knew that they would see Emily today. All that she said was true, and she couldn't be more happy for and proud of Lorelai and all that she has done. She only wished that Emily could put aside her stubbornness and see how truly amazing her daughter was. She only wished that Lorelai could put aside _her_ stubbornness and realize that her mother has just wanted the best for her all these years, and didn't know how to make her understand that.

As her thoughts continued, she heard running down the stairs, and a bubbly Lorelai coming into the kitchen.

"Are you ready?"

"I most certainly am!"

"Well, I called Rory, and she is actually on her way here, and seeing as I need my morning caffeine fix, she is going to meet us at Luke's."

"As long as we have a plan then!" Mia said, grabbing her purse and heading out the door behind Lorelai.

LUKE'S DINER

Upon entering the diner, they found it incredibly busy, even for the weekend. Nevertheless, when Luke's eyes met hers, he finished pouring a customer's coffee, and walked up to her, pulling her in for a kiss.

"Glad to see you decided to join us today." he says jokingly as he pulls away.

"Well, someone came to my door mentioning the word shopping, and how could I refuse."

"So that's how it works… all I have to do is mention shopping and you'll wake up mumbling and hitting free?"

"You misunderstand me, she woke me up at a reasonable hour… you on the other hand my friend force me to wake up before the sun is visible… and besides… you think it's cute!" she says, smiling as she leans up for another kiss.

"Ahem… Luke?" says an annoyed Taylor, pointing to his coffee cup. "Do you mind? I would much rather have a full cup of coffee then see you play kissy-face with your… your…"

"Fiancé…" Lorelai says, chiming in. "You can say it Taylor… I know it's what you've been dreading your entire life… but it doesn't change the fact."

With this, Taylor shook his head, and went back to minding his own business.

"Hold on, I'll be right back..." says Luke, annoyed.

"You're saving some of that for me aren't you?"

"That depends…"

"What? What do you mean it depends? There have never been conditions with this relationship? Me and you and coffee, we do good together!"

"Besides, you've seen me before coffee, remember? The hitting, the mumbling…"

"Yes, the faint resemblance to a human being before you get coffee… fine, but I'm gonna start sneaking in some decaf when you don't know about it."

"May I have a cup also?" says Mia, turning over the coffee cup at the counter, smiling at Luke.

"Besides, Rory is coming, and she'll back me up on this one! She won't leave me hanging!"

"And you're so sure of that?"

"Yes, I am!"

"MIA!"

They all turn to the diner's door to see Rory walk in. She runs into the open arms of Mia, then turns to her mother to give her the same warm regard.

"Mr. Grumpy pants is only giving out coffee under protest this morning." says Lorelai, with a pouting lower lip.

"As well he should!" she says, turning to Luke and smiling as Lorelai's eyes widen. "You know, I've actually been looking into this whole coffee obsession of ours, and it's not the healthiest, you know? Caffeine isn't really good for you, and technically it _is_ a drug, which we have obviously gotten addicted to. The long-term effects of caffeine are quite surprising, but not so good. I'm trying to cut down of course."

"You are sooo not my child."

"Yes, I am, mainly proven by the drug addiction that was given to me in the womb!" she points accusingly at her mother.

"You were behind this anti-coffee, mean to mommy routine weren't you?" she points at Luke.

"I've always said there was hope for the younger one." he says, pouring Mia and Lorelai coffee, and asking Rory what she would like.

"Ummm… Orange juice please!" she says cheerfully. "So what is the plan again? Shopping?"

"Hmm… what? Mia, Luke did you hear that? What was that sound? It obviously wasn't my daughter, seeing as my daughter shares with me the love of caffeine."

"Again, the drama queen of Connecticut…"

"Whatever, I'm perfectly fine with you not being addicted to caffeine, but when you come home this summer, you will be so sad when I ban you from Luke Jr."

"Luke Jr.?... Wait…. WHAT! Oh my God! You're pregnant!" she screams, a lot louder than she intended, and all sounds of the diner stopped. All eyes were on Lorelai.

"Lorelai?" asked Luke, coming up to them from behind the counter.

Standing up, she started to speak. "Woah Woah! I assure you fine people that I am NOT pregnant! There was a misunderstanding! We're not even married yet, of course I'm not pregnant! Well, not that the whole marriage thing has stopped me before, but we won't get into that whole drama… again, NOT pregnant!"

As if nothing ever happened, the loud crashes and conversations start once again, and Lorelai met the eyes of her daughter.

"What would posses you to scream that?"

"Well, you said Luke Jr., and I assumed that you meant baby…"

"Well, because of an unfortunate accident involving a non working coffee maker and a hammer, our friend George the coffee maker is no longer with us. I bought a new one, and since I have a knack for naming all of the appliances in our household, I named him Luke Jr. because he keeps us in coffee, just like big Luke does."

"Dirty." Luke says from the counter nonchalantly.

With wide eyes, both of the Gilmore Girls turned to look at him.

"What?... wait… Aw jeez!... I'm turning into you!" he says, pointing at Lorelai.

Laughing, the girls turn back to Mia, who has been watching the entertaining scene before her silently while sipping on her coffee.

"Well, that was fun… shopping anyone?" Lorelai asks the two women, while getting up from her stool, picking up her purse, and walking to the door.

_Now, I'm thinking that Mia is going to be a catalyst for the Lorelai/Emily happy relationship thing, well at least a start to it, so yeah, that's where I'm going. … maybe some wedding planning, and then there will definitely be a wedding! woohooo! Sorry it took so long for the update… minor writer's block!_


	5. The Encounter

Rory drove them to the mall in Hartford, and all three were off on their shopping endeavor, with Mia and Rory encouraging Lorelai to look at the few places that had wedding dresses.

"You guys, we've only been engaged a little over two weeks, I think it's too soon to start picking out wedding dresses!"

"Oh, it's never too soon Lorelai!"

"She's right mom, it wouldn't hurt to look…" Rory says, giving her mother a small pout.

"Put that lip away! I never should have taught you that lip…"

"There was no need to teach, I think it's in the genes"

"Yeah well…"

"Have you and Lucas picked a date for the wedding yet?" Asks Mia, curiously.

"No, but he knows that I want it in the spring, so I think that I'm going to shoot for April."

"A spring wedding at that beautiful inn of yours would be lovely!"

"I agree, so hopefully Luke will go for it, or I can whip out the hair flip/little black dress combo to persuade him."

"Mean!" says Rory at her mother's methods of persuading Luke for a spring wedding.

"What! If you've got it, flaunt it!"

After looking through a few stores, they came to the first with wedding dresses, and Lorelai was dragged in by Mia and Rory, being forced to look at a few dresses.

"Oh this is soooo fun!" Rory says excitedly as she claps her hands together.

"Well, if you think so, why don't _you _try on the dresses!"

"Come on mom, you had to have _loved _trying on dresses when you were younger. When Lane went to the prom, even though we knew that Mrs. Kim wouldn't approve of any of our choices, we went to the mall and tried on every dress that we could get in our size… didn't you?"

"No, I didn't get to do the prom thing cause I was doing the labor thing."

"Oh… yeah, sorry about that."

"That's okay, I'll just pay you back with tule and a nice fat bow on your ass." she said referring to the hideous bridesmaid dresses that everyone has seen at one time or another.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Oh wouldn't I?"

"Lorelai, please try on something? I don't think I'll be able to come to Connecticut before the wedding for all the planning, but this way, I can be a part of this…you wouldn't want to make an old woman sad, would you?"

"Enough with the guilt already! Let's find me a dress!"

After a few attempts at trying on dresses, they decided that the simpler the dress, the better. Lorelai was trying on the last attempt at frilly, with lace and beads, while Mia was scanning the store for something more suitable. By the time she came out of the dressing room, and was standing on her pedestal, Mia had found what she thought to be the perfect dress. She instructed Lorelai to quickly take what she had on off and try this one on.

A few minutes later, she emerged from behind the curtain in an exquisite, but simple gown. The dress was strapless, with an A-line fit that hugged her curves perfectly, and let the skirt flow off of her hips. It was a pearly white, with a few glittery accents in diagonal around her waist. Mia and Rory were speechless.

"Does it look that hideous?" she asks them once she catches their expressions.

Standing up on the pedestal in front of the dressing rooms, she finally glances at her frame, and gasps.

"Woah…"

"Mom…"

"It's perfect! Oh my gosh!"

Suddenly another voice mixed in, that was certainly unexpected.

"Lorelai, you look gorgeous in that dress…"

Rory and Mia cast glances behind them, while Lorelai slowly turned from her place on her small perch.

"Mom? What are you doing here?"

"I was shopping for some things, and obviously with the wedding of my only daughter coming up, I happened to glance inside and see you ladies."

"Oh, uh… well, that's nice." she replies, stumbling over what words to say after her mothers small hint of acceptance of the wedding to come.

"I'm glad that I did see you though, because it gives me the chance to tell you that you need to buy this dress."

"I agree, Emily" Mia says with a smile.

"Yeah, but this is only the first place that we've looked at, there might be something else out there even more perfect than this one."

Even as she says it, Lorelai glances back at her form in the mirror, admiring the simple gown with a gleam in her eye.

"Well, then, we'll buy it, and if you happen upon another one, then you can get that. You can't let this dress out of your grip though, because it is absolutely stunning."

"I can't afford this dress right now mom, and Luke and I haven't really talked about most or really any of the wedding plans."

"I'll buy it for you."

"Yeah, another loan from Emily Gilmore, what a wise idea." she says, with a sharp sarcasm creeping into her tone.

"This wouldn't be a loan, I just want to do something for my daughter, seeing as she's getting married."

"While I do appreciate it and the fact that you are actually acknowledging the fact that Luke and I are getting married… I'm not going to let you buy this dress for me."

"Lorelai, don't be stupid. If you like the dress, I want you to have it."

"With what strings attached?"

"Strings? What strings? Can't I do something nice for you?"

"I guess there is a first time for everything, but I doubt that with you."

Mia and Rory stood back as spectators for this verbal mother and daughter match. Realizing that it wasn't going to stop anytime soon, Rory decided that it was time to step in before everyone in the mall was staring at them.

"Mom! Grandma!"

"What!" they both shouted, turning towards Rory.

Finally having enough of this, Mia breaks free of her silence.

"Now that is enough!"

Lorelai, never seeing Mia ever get upset over anything grew silent instantly, staring at her with wide eyes. Emily, struggling a bit more than Lorelai remained quiet while Mia spoke.

"Lorelai, I have known you for many years now, and I have seen you grow into this beautiful woman and raise this beautiful young lady that we have right here with us. I have sit idly by, just being a comforting presence while you went through many of your life's tribulations, including your relationship with your mother."

"I would hardly call – " says Emily, trying to get a word in before she is cut off by Mia.

"Emily, I have not known you on a more personal level, but have known of you and the things that have happened between you and your daughter. In the three short times that the two of us have interacted, I have noticed something buried deep inside you, that you rarely let anyone see. And Lorelai, while your sense of humor is one of your best qualities, deep down, I see the same thing in you. The two of you are so content to fight with each other about small things, that you won't ever be able to talk things through. I have talked to the both of you on this matter, and would like to reiterate what I told each of you. Emily, even if you don't approve of what Lorelai does, I have to say that I couldn't be _more_ proud of her. She runs an amazing inn, has a beautiful daughter, and has landed a man who I consider to be a son to me as much as I see her as a daughter. The two of them are meant for each other, and everyone has known it for some time, so this wedding is going to be a very joyful event… Am I right Rory?"

Realizing what Mia just said, Rory agrees. "Years in the making."

"Don't be upset because she didn't turn into what you wanted her to be, but be proud of what she has become and forget about the past." Turning then, she focuses on Lorelai, who has remained still during the entire monologue. "Lorelai, I know that some of the things that have happened between you and your mother have been quite painful, but you need to understand that some of those things didn't just hurt you, but hurt your mother as well. She may be too proud to admit it, but when you left, I'm sure that it tore her up, and the fact that you continue to push her out of your life, continues to hurt her even more. Let her back in. Now, I'm not saying that the two of you have to become best friends right this instant, but you need to love each other the way a mother and daughter should." Finally, she gives a long pause before finishing what she has to say. "I don't like to butt in, but it has always hurt me to see your relationship like this, and … well… that's really all I have to say about that, and you can take it or leave it."

The two elder Gilmores contemplated what was just spoken to them, not wanting to say anything at all to each other or Mia. It felt though, that a huge weight had been lifted off of their shoulders.

Emily is the first to break the silence. "I'm sorry… I know that I say all of these hurtful things to you, but you know that it is because I want you to have the best."

"Well, our bests might not be the same…"

"And I realize that now… Lorelai, I just want you to be happy, and you know that, don't you?"

"Yes, I do know that mother."

Another long silence followed her admission. Rory sat quietly, taking in the scene with awe, not believing that someone had finally gotten through to the two of them. She had tried to get her mother to talk to her grandmother so many times before, with no success, and now, things were looking up. After a few more silent moments, Rory decided that it was time to speak up.

"So, I'm thinking that I agree with grandma on the dress thing, cause… well, let's face it, you look phenomenal in that dress."

Lorelai, snapping out of her reverie, glanced up at her mother, and gave a short smile before turning to look at herself again.

Smoothing out the flowing skirt, she thought out loud. "This really is _the _one…"

"You look absolutely stunning, Lorelai."

"So…" she says, turning to face her mother, "Mom, what do you think? Is it a winner?"

"I don't think that you'll find anything that compares. It really is perfect."

"Rory, what do you think? Do you think Luke will like it?"

"Luke would like you in a paper bag, but yes, he will definitely like this. In fact I think this might top the hair flip/little black dress combo for good."

"What?" says Emily, confused at the comment.

"Luke once told me that I could get him to do just about anything if I did my patented hair flip and wore my little black dress, and now it's an ongoing joke with us… I tell you though, it really does work."

"Oh, I see…"

"Well, I think that this dress is a done deal then…"

"Lorelai, will you please let me get it for you?"

Biting her lip, she thought back to what Mia had said. All of the horrible words that have passed between the two of them has left Lorelai hurt and untrusting. Then she thought about what she said in her message the week after she and Luke announced their engagement, and even there, she found her mother to be sincere.

Finally after gathering her thoughts while staring into the mirror, "Mom, I would really appreciate that."

And with that, the beaming smiles on Mia and Rory's faces were priceless. It would take quite some time, but eventually, hopefully, the two would finally be able to have a somewhat normal relationship.

_So… maybe Lorelai and Emily can have a somewhat more sane relationship now? I don't know… I don't know where I'm going with this, but yeah… R/R cause I really really like it when you do! Let me know where you want it to go… I'm thinking more wedding planning will come out of this next chapter!_


	6. Weddings

With the shopping excursion out of their way, the girls and Mia headed back to Stars Hallow, and Emily went on her way back to the Gilmore mansion. Upon getting home, Lorelai hid the wedding dress in Rory's closet, so Luke would definitely not see it before the big day, and then the girls heading to Luke's for coffee.

"Hey Luke!"

"Hey ladies, how was shopping with Mia?" he asks, giving Lorelai a quick peck on the lips, and then returning to balancing the register for the evening.

"Well, I would say that it was… eventful…"

"Meaning what exactly?"

"Well, my mom showed up unexpectedly, and well… we had words."

"Was it bad?"

"No, actually, we had words, and then with a lot of help from Mia and Rory, my mother and I were able to see eye to eye on some things."

Stopping what he was doing, he looked up at Lorelai with a shocked expression, "Really?"

"Yeah, who knew!... She actually even bought me a nice little gift…" she says, glancing at Rory for the support of telling Luke that she got her dress.

"Oh yeah, what'd she get you?"

"Well, don't freak out, but we went to this one place in the mall, and they have really great wedding dresses, and then Mia and Rory _made_ me try on a whole bunch of them… and then Mia found this one, and I tried it on, and I thought that I looked hideous, cause Rory and Mia didn't want to say anything when I came out, but really I looked really good… I mean _really_ good Luke, and then my mom showed up, and she told me that I had to buy it, so then we had our little thing and that all happened, and then in the end I bought the dress, because it was a really nice dress…and I don't know… so yeah… I bought the dress." she says, in one breath, which is only possible for Lorelai Gilmore.

She was still looking down at the counter though, not wanting to look at Luke for fear of seeing him a little bit freaked out about her having concrete evidence for them getting married, which was also why she had broken into her nervous babble.

If she had looked up during her rant though, she would have seen what Rory saw, which was a smile growing on Luke's face while she babbled.

"Lorelai?"

"yeah?" she says, still not really glancing in his direction.

"Look at me…"

She looks up to see him smiling back at her.

"You're not freaked out?"

"You're forgetting that I'm the one that asked you to marry me. I knew that you were going to have to get a dress eventually, or you'd be walking down the aisle in a paper bag, which, to me wouldn't matter, but to your mother, quite possibly."

At this the girls burst into a fit of giggles remembering Rory's comment earlier about Luke being okay with her coming down the aisle in a paper bag.

Once their giggles subsided, Lorelai leaned over the counter and gave Luke a quick kiss.

"Do I want to know?" he asks.

"No, you're just turning out to be more and more like us every day. The next thing you know you'll be watching Willy Wonka with a red vine hanging out of your mouth."

"Highly doubtful Lorelai."

"I don't know Luke, I think mom might be right… I mean you did refer to something as dirty this morning. That's one step away from red vines, or… COFFEE!"

"Yeah, but you told your mother that you were stopping with the coffee…"

"What if I changed my mind?" she said, smirking at Luke.

"Come back to mommy baby!" Lorelai squealed, grabbing Rory around the shoulders and squeezing her tight.

At the puppy dog face being given to him by his soon to be step-daughter, Luke reached under the counter, plopped a large mug onto the surface, and turned without a word to get the coffee pot.

While pouring, he resumed his usual coffee inspired banter, "You know this stuff really is going to kill you one of these days…", and then upon finishing he goes back to closing up the rest of the diner while the girls smile on.

Later on that evening, Luke and Lorelai were curled up on the couch, with Rory leaning up next to them on the floor when the phone rang.

"Luke"

"What?"

"Get the phone…"

"What? Why, Rory's the closest."

Standing up Rory makes it over to the phone after a few rings.

"Hello?"

"_Hi Rory, it's your grandmother."_

"Oh, hi Grandma!"

At this, Lorelai's ears perked up, and she sat up on the couch watching her daughter talk on the phone.

"_I was wondering if I could actually speak with your mother, is she there, or is she at Luke's?"_

"Oh, ummm… yeah, she's here, hold on and I'll get her for you."

She tries to hand the phone over to her mother, who made motions with her hands showing someone chopping her head off, and someone hanging her with a noose. Rory, thrust the phone at her again, and finally she grabbed onto it.

"Mom?"

"_Oh, Hi Lorelai! I'm sorry to bother you, am I ruining your evening?"_

"Oh, no mom, we were all just watching a movie, nothing that the rewind button can't fix."

"_We all? Is Luke over?"_

"Yes, Luke is over."

"_Well that's nice. I was actually calling to talk about him."_

"To talk about Luke?"

With this Luke started eyeing Lorelai curiously, wondering what they could be talking about.

"_Yes. I was actually wondering if he could come to Friday night dinners with you girls. He's going to be part of the family soon, and your father and I would like to get to know him a little bit better."_

"Uh… mom, I don't know… Luke works really hard during the day, and he usually likes to sit and relax after a day at the diner."

"_Well, were you planning on leaving your poor husband all alone every Friday night after you were married?"_

"No mom, I… sure, I'll talk to Luke, and we'll all be there on Friday."

"_That's good then, I guess we will see you then."_

The week passed with no great events, and finally the night came. Lorelai was dreading it. Mia had left earlier in the week, promising to come back for the wedding, so her support was gone, and Lorelai wondered if her mother really did intend to change or if she was just putting on a front in front of Mia and Rory. She was also quite curious at her mom's sudden interest in Luke as well.

"So… are you ready to go in?" she asks him as they approach the Gilmore's door.

"Yeah, I am." he says in his characteristic monotone.

"heh… what are you thinking?"

"Rustic equals crap pile, beer is nitwit juice, and charming is doggy poopy, right?"

"Luke, we don't have to do this if you don't want to. When we had our little… incident, I told you that you didn't have to deal with her anymore, and then I dragged you to tell her that we were getting married, and you see how well that went over. Say the word and we're out of here."

"Well, that's Rory's car isn't it?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, I don't want to leave her in there with your parents when we don't show up, so let's do this." he tells her somewhat confidently, reaching over to ring the door bell.

To Lorelai and Luke's surprise, Emily herself actually answers the door. Even more surprisingly, she does so cheerfully.

"Lorelai, Luke! Come in!"

"What'd you do to the maid mom?"

"What do you mean?"

"You were answering the door."

"Oh, well, I thought that it was going to be the two of you, so I decided to answer the door myself."

With a nervous glance to Luke, she smiles back at her mother, "oh, well, thanks mom, that was nice of you."

"Well, come on now, Rory and your father are in with some drinks."

They walk in and see Rory sitting across from her grandfather on the couch in a heated political discussion. Noticing that her mother and Luke were there, Rory stood up to give a hug to both and a kiss to her mother's cheek.

"Hey Luke, hey mom!"

"Hey hon""Hey Rory" they both say at the same time.

Lorelai grabs onto Luke's hand then and sits them down onto the couch. Richard stands up and heads over to the drink tray, asking them what they would like.

"Martini please!" says Lorelai, certainly ready to ride the pink elephant.

"And Luke?" Richard says as he hands the drink to his daughter.

"Actually, I'd just like some water Mr. Gilmore."

"All right then. And son, don't call me Mr. Gilmore, call me Richard…besides you'll be calling me dad soon enough" he says, handing Luke his water and patting him on the back.

Lorelai choked a bit on her martini with that comment, but kept any snide remarks towards her parents to herself. They were both being too nice about this whole Luke thing that she really didn't know what to make of it.

"So, Luke, did Lorelai tell you what she got at the mall the other day?" Emily asks with a knowing smile on her face.

"Yeah, she uh… she tells me that she got her wedding dress."

"Oh, and it really is gorgeous."

"I'm sure that anything would look beautiful on her, so I'll take your word for it." he declares with a loving glance towards Lorelai.

"So, have you two decided on a date yet?"

"Actually, I was talking to Luke about that the other day, and he's all for the Springish wedding, so we're probably going to have it at the end of April. I want to have it April 26th."

"Which I said was perfectly allright with me."

"No, you said that I could pick any date and it would be okay with you… so the 26th is okay with you?"

"Well, if I said that any date was okay with me, then it obviously is okay with me."

"So, did we just settle on a date?"

"I think we did."

Emily chimes in then with a happy tone, "Well that's just wonderful! We will mark our calendars tonight with the date then."

"Same here" says Rory, who had taken in the scene without a word.

"So when are we going to start doing the rest of the planning mom?"

"Well, seeing as it's June, and we have like almost a year to plan, I'm going to take my time with this one."

"So, I'm going to have visions of tule and big butt ribbons for months!"

At this Lorelai started laughing, "You didn't think I was serious about that did you? My wedding will have no dress with such… such… bad tasteness."

"tastness isn't a word Lorelai" says Luke matter-of-factly.

"Since when do _you _correct my grammer? Little miss ivy league over here is in charge of that."

"Well Luke and I thought that we would both try to tackle your caffeine addiction and your bad grammer… tag team is best you know."

Lorelai sinks back into the couch with a sigh. She never thought that Luke and Rory would team up against her, but liked the idea that they were that comfortable with each other.

The maid came to announce dinner, and it was all going quite pleasantly. To Lorelai though, it seemed to be going too pleasantly. Her mom hadn't made a single backhand slang comment about Luke or anything related to Luke. Only positive things were mentioned about the upcoming marriage, and her mother hadn't even sent a dig her way over the course of the evening.

Finally, when Emily asks Luke if he is excited about the wedding and seems genuine about it, she breaks. "Okay, MOM!"

"Yes?"

"Can I talk to you in the kitchen."

Perplexed she replies, "If you would like, certainly"

They get up and walk the short distance into the kitchen, with Lorelai leading the way.

"Okay, what the hell is going on here?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You! You haven't said anything bad all evening!"

"And you're upset because of this?"

"No… I'm just really weirded out."

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not the wicked witch of the west Lorelai"

"Yeah, well, the resemblance sometimes is uncanny, so I don't see where this nice streak is coming from."

"Well, I sincerely thought about what that Mia woman said, and realized that I needed to work on my relationship with you."

"So acting to like Luke is just a front, trying to get on my good side."

"No, I do like Luke, I really do." she says nodding.

"Oh yeah, since when mom, cause you sure haven't seemed to like him."

"Since you told us you were getting married."

"As I recall, the first words out of your mouth after we told you that we were getting married were you asking me how far along I was… mom, that doesn't really show me that you like him."

"It was after all of that."

"You mean when I was tearing through the house on my way out the door."

"No, it was later at your house" she says, now finding the tile of her kitchen quite amusing.

"You never came to the house that night. I didn't hear from you until a week later."

"I did come to the house, but you didn't see me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I was coming to try to convince you that this was a bad idea, and try to get you back on my side, when I saw you and Luke in your livingroom. You had the window open, so I could hear all that you were saying to eachother. All he was saying to you was that he loved you and that everything was going to be okay. You stayed there in his arms, with this look on your face that I can only describe as you feeling safe, even if my words and actions were hurting you."

"And that is why you like Luke now?"

"I realized that night that I was totally wrong about Christopher. He could never be there for you the way that I know that Luke has through the years. He loves you so much, and you return that sentiment. And Rory seems to know him more as a father than Christopher. I can't forget that."

Lorelai was stunned silent, staring at her mother who was still unable to catch her glance. Her mother was finally seeing her life and her choices in a new light, and it scared the crap out of her while making her happy at the same time.

"You're right about that… Luke has always been more of a father to me than dad ever was." Rory says, coming from the doorway where she had stood silently, waiting for the fight that never happened to start.

Both Lorelai and Emily turned to look at Rory as she began to speak, "I know that you already like Luke, but just to reinforce, because while I know that you don't listen to mom all the time, you do seem to care about what I have to say about things."

"Yes, I do care, very much."

"Okay then… Luke is my dad… as much as he can be without half of the genes. I think that our whole town, including me was waiting for these two to finally get together, and I will be the first to say that I was ecstatic when they did. And Grandma, she loves him… and he… he worships the ground she walks on. I couldn't pick anyone better for mom, and I don't think I could pick anyone better for me either. If it matters, I love Luke just as much as mom does."

Lorelai, still glancing towards Rory, now had tears flowing down her face, and after Rory's speech, Emily turned and dared a glance in her direction.

"Then I don't think that I could be happier for you, and I am very proud of you." Emily said in a tone that showed her sincerity but hid any real excitement.

Mother and daughter met eyes in the spacious kitchen and silently smiled at each other. Then, with all the walls broken, the two enter back into the dining room with the gentleman of the evening.

"So, what'd we miss?" Lorelai says with a smile.

"Yes, you gentlemen must fill us in!" Emily says with an equally large smile and a matter of fact tone.

Shocked by the obvious pleasant manner of the two women, Luke and Richard turn with wide eyes to Rory, asking her a silent question about what happened in the kitchen.

"Ah…. weddings…" she says with a smile on her face as she turns her attention to the salad, mentally betting herself as to how long this healed rift would last between her mother and grandmother.

_So… what do we think about this one. I don't know guys… having them actually nice to each other is good for a change, and I'm liking that she likes Luke, but I don't know. Is it working? Let me know what you think. I think that I'm going to fast forward a few months, plan for a few surprises down the line… well, that was kind of oxymoronical of me, telling you to plan for a surprise… it doesn't really work like that. hmmm… oh well… R/R and enjoy!_


	7. Oops

Wedding planning had been picking up some serious speed in the past few months. The wedding of Luke and Lorelai was just two months away, and though Emily and Lorelai were getting along, there were a few hair tearing moments had by all.

"Mom, I don't want huge centerpieces for the tables…"

"But Lorelai, you want to have something for the guest to look at while their sitting down at these tables."

"Well, mom, I'm hoping that people really won't be sitting that much, and I'm also hoping that they will be staring at me the whole time… because I'm planning on looking damn good for this particular occasion."

"Oh Lorelai, be serious."

"I am, mom. No centerpieces."

"Okay, fine."

Lorelai mentally chalked a tally point up in her checklist of the score between her and her mother. They had been fighting over a few of the small details for the past few months, but hadn't had a major blowout since her mom thought that she and Luke were getting married because she was pregnant. Definite improvement.

"So, now that we are done, can we grab some lunch?" she asked rubbing her stomach for the international sign of hungry.

"We just ate breakfast two hours ago!"

"I know, but I'm always hungry, and this planning has me famished!" she says with a dramatic hand to her forehead.

"So, what does Sookie have cooking today?"

"Oh… I was thinking that we could go to Luke's for lunch."

"But we went there for breakfast, don't you want something different? You know Lorelai, variety is the spice of life."

"But I miss him… and when you're not looking, maybe we can sneak in the store room and make out like horny teenagers."

"Lorelai!"

"Just joking, only did it once!"

Scoffing at her daughter, Emily grabbed her purse and coat and stood up to head to the diner. Lorelai followed suit, but faltered a moment, shaking her head to focus.

"You coming?"

"Yeah, let's go!" she said cheerfully, excited to go see her fiancée for the third time today.

They walked the distance to Luke's, since it was a beautiful day. There was still a lot of snow on the ground, but it wasn't too cold that they couldn't enjoy it. Once they got to Luke's, the two found a table and Lorelai approached the counter to give Luke a sweet kiss.

Saying loud enough so her mother could hear, Lorelai asked Luke, "Hey, so… do you want to go into the storeroom since you only have a few customers. We can probably be pretty quick you know."

"Lorelai, Honestly!" shouted Emily from the table.

Luke was standing behind the counter turning fifteen different shades of red while marveling at the fact that he was going to soon be married to the gorgeous woman before him.

Grabbing two coffee cups, he decided to ask about the wedding plans. "So how are things going with your mom?"

"Well, I'm thinking that it's almost all planned out! In two months, we will have a fabulous small, but amazingly fun wedding… how does that sound?"

"I think that sounds great" he said, kissing her and handing her two full coffee cups.

As they were continuing to plan the lovely event, the date was approaching faster and faster. The bridesmaid dresses were picked out, the cake designed, the table decorations figured out, and the invitations handed out to all of Stars Hallow. It was now coming up on the big day, with only a month to spare. This day however had all the girls trying on their dresses that they just got to make sure that they all fit the way that they were supposed to.

"Mom, you should try your dress on!"

"No, I think it will fit fine… don't worry about me."

"We have to make sure though, and the last time you tried this dress on was like how many months ago? You bought it like two weeks after Luke proposed."

"Lorelai, she's right, you should try it on, and besides I never got to see you in it!" Sookie said from the kitchen in the Gilmore's house, where she was changing.

"I've tried it on since then though…. don't worry." she says, her head bowing sheepishly.

"Have you been trying on your wedding dress when no one was around?" Rory then answers her with a smile.

"No… yes… maybe… like twice like a month or so after we bought it, and maybe a few more times than that. Not recently though…"

"ooohh… she's got it bad for Luke Sookie!" Rory calls into the kitchen.

"Yeah, I know" she starts, coming into the living room area to join them in her dress "man, I can't believe that it took you guys so long to finally get it on."

"Sookie!"

"She's right though mom, aside from the dirtyness of that comment, it took you and Luke forever! So much denial."

"Umm… no, there was no denial!"

"'have you ever noticed that he never flirts with the women?''well he's flirted with you numerous times' 'nooo… not Luke'" she says mocking her mom and her talking about Luke a long time ago.

"Yeah, she's right… denial! And remember the chick thing… you called him and you totally wouldn't admit that you had a thing for him!"

"Okay, so we took a little bit longer than what was needed, but it made us stronger anyways, so I'm not going to complain… Now, if I put my dress on, will you stop pestering me about how long Luke and I were making googly eyes at each other?"

"I think that we can manage that, now go!" Rory says, shoving her mother towards her room, where they had hung the dress many months ago.

A few minutes later, as Sookie and Lorelai were waiting for Lorelai to come out of Rory's room with the dress on, they heard Lorelai shout.

"Oh No!"

Running in, they find her in panic mode, fighting with her zipper.

"What's the matter?"

"I can't get it zipped!"

Rory positions herself behind her mother, and attempts to get the zipper up. It doesn't budge once it gets about two inches up.

"Did you gain weight?"

"Being with my mother constantly has stressed me out a little bit, but I haven't gained enough weight to make my dress not fit!"

"Well, we can take it back to the place and get it fitted then… don't worry."

"Man, I'm having coming out party flashbacks!"

Laughing, Sookie asks, "Why?"

"Cause the same thing happened when I went to try on my coming out dress, and…"

Lorelai quickly stripped out of the dress, oblivious to Rory and Sookie standing in the room with confused looks on their faces. With a promise that she'll be back, Lorelai grabs her purse and heads to Hartford.

She comes back four hours later, and goes straight to Luke's, walking in, setting her purse on the counter, and sitting at a stool.

"Where have you been? Rory called me saying that you freaked out about something, and left Sookie and her in their bridesmaid dresses at the house with no explanation."

"Luke, have I gained weight?"

"Huh?"

"Have I gained weight here recently that you've noticed?"

"Um… no, I don't think so. Why the hell are you worried about that?"

Putting her head in her hands and taking a deep breath, she tells him about what happened with the dress.

"And? Lorelai, that isn't a big deal. You just have to go get the dress fitted, right?"

"Yeah, I can solve the dress problem…"

"Well, then what are you freaking out about?"

Looking around the diner and seeing no one, Lorelai suggests that he closes early.

"Umm… okay?"

"I'll meet you upstairs then…"

"What? Are we not going back home?"

"No, we're not, at least not until… just hurry up, okay?"

Back at home, Rory anxiously waited by the phone. The last call that she got from her mother was that she was okay, she just had something to take care of and she would be back later. Sookie left about an hour ago, and between the two of them, they weren't able to figure out why Lorelai had a freak out moment. Both contemplated the fact that she could be having a backing out thought going through her head, and figured out different arguments in case she was planning on pulling another Max fiasco.

She kept running through what happened in her head, thinking about what made her mom run. The last thing that she mentioned was her debut gown, and how this was bringing back memories.

"Oh No!"

It was then that she had remembered a picture album from her mom's room at her grandparent's house. There was a picture of her in her coming out dress, and when she asked her grandparents about it, they grew silent because Lorelai never did have that chance to come out. Yeah, she didn't have the chance because they had found out that she was pregnant a few weeks later.

Above the diner, Lorelai was sitting on Luke's bed impatiently, waiting for him to come up and join her.

After about ten minutes, he came upstairs into the apartment looking around for her. Once he found her, he was taken back by her appearance. She had obviously been up here this entire time crying, and from the way she met his gaze he knew that there was something wrong, and it was something big.

"If you are going to tell me that the wedding is off and that you're scared, I'll fight for you Lorelai. I love you too much to let you throw this out the window, and I know that you feel the same as I do."

"No, Luke, it's not that…"

"Okay, well, then let's talk. Why did you freak out and leave Sookie and Rory?"

Taking a deep breath she began to explain her thought process. "Well, you know how the dress didn't fit?"

"Yeah, we established that fact and how to fix it…"

"Well, it reminded me of something from when I was younger."

"The dress not fitting?"

"Yeah… about a month before my coming out party, my mother decided that she wanted pictures of me in my dress. Being the dutiful daughter that I was supposed to be, I attempted to put the dress on and get the pictures taken… and about a half hour into trying to fit into the dress, my mother came in and attempted to zip it up without any success."

"Okay, still not seeing a real point here…"

"Well, she kept blaming the dress maker for taking down my measurements wrong, and I kept thinking that must be the case…. until I realized something."

"What?"

"Well, about a week later, I found out that I was pregnant, and I never got to have my little party."

"Still not understanding the point here… what does you not fitting into your dress when you were sixteen have to do with you not… fitting… oh."

"That's why I ran. I went to Hartford to pick up a few tests, and I didn't want to say anything to Rory or Sookie, so I came straight here."

"Okay?" Luke said, not really knowing how to take the whole situation.

"Okay? Um… I'm gonna need a little bit more from you on this Luke."

"Well, you know that whatever happens, I will be here, and we will still get married. We might just get a family earlier than we expected."

"We expected?"

"Well, I always said that there would be a conversation if I met the right person…"

"There was going to be a conversation with us?"

"Well, seeing as I'm marrying you, I thought that you were the right person, yeah…"

"Oh, well, why don't we have the conversation before we do this, and that way when we find out, we'll know exactly what to expect?"

"Uh… okay, that sounds good."

"So, do you want to have kids?"

"With you… yes. How do you feel about having another kid?"

"Well, it is certainly something that I've thought about since we got engaged, so yeah, I'm interested."

Getting a bit shy, he asks, "well, do you want to just have one, or do you want to maybe have more than one?"

"I say that we definitely have one, and then see how that goes… seeing as I'm not the youngest chick in the coup anymore."

"That seems fair enough…" he says with an adorable Luke smile that he seems to save just for her.

As he's sitting next to her on the bed, he places his hand on her knee, squeezing it through the denim.

"We should probably… or well, I should probably. Your work is really already done, so I'm the one who has to go and do the…" she says, getting a bit flustered, babbling like she always does when she gets nervous.

"Lorelai, I love you." he says, wrapping his arms around her.

She nods and looks into his eyes, standing up. She makes the short distance to the bathroom with the bag from the pharmacy in Hartford, coming out a few minutes later.

"So?"

"We wait…"

_Dun dun dun! I love pregnancy stories, but I can't decide about this one yet… should she be or shouldn't she be? hmmm…Who knows… After this, Mia will be coming back and I think that we are going to have the wedding in the next two! YAY! I LOVE weddings! Well, anyways… please R/R, and let me know what you're thinking!_


	8. A Nice Little Meltdown

A few minutes later, Lorelai looks at her watch to see that they need to go in there to find out their fate.

"So…do you want me to come in there with you, or do you want me to wait here, and then you can tell me, or… how exactly does this work?" Luke asks, betraying his normally cool exterior as he is freaking out about what could happen in just a few short moments.

"I want you in there." she then says confidently.

They get up from the bed and start walking into the bathroom when Lorelai stops in her tracks, turning to face Luke.

"Luke…I know that we just…"

"Don't worry Lorelai, whatever that little… whatever that thing is, says, I'm with you. I am with you completely on this either way, okay?"

She nods slowly, her eyes never leaving his.

"Okay, well, let's find out so we can stop with the what ifs, okay?"

"Okay"

They walk into the bathroom, Lorelai a little shakier than normal, and look down toward the object sitting on the bathroom counter. Neither of their expressions change as they glance down.

Quietly, Luke asks her, "Does that mean what I think it means?"

"Yeah, it does…"

"So, what do we do now?"

"We talk."

"Sounds like a plan to me." He says, grabbing her hand and pulling her out onto the bed.

"Luke, what are you thinking?"

"I don't know exactly, but I think I'm upset."

"Really?"

"yeah. I mean, I know that we didn't want you to get pregnant before our wedding, but the idea of getting to start a family with you had me kind of excited there for a minute, so I guess I'm kind of sad that you're not."

"Would it make you feel better to know that I'm kind of sad too?"

"No, because then both of us would be sad, and that doesn't make for a very good duo."

"So, let's talk about this now then…"

"Talk about what?"

"Babies."

"I thought that we already had this discussion before that little episode in the bathroom?"

"Yeah, but now, without the big, ginormous 'what if' cloud looming over our heads, what are your thoughts."

"The same as before." He says, turning more towards her, and taking a hand in his, "I want a family with you Lorelai, and I guess that time isn't now for us."

"When is it time then?"

"Honestly? " he pauses, "whenever you're ready, I'm ready."

"Well then! Get naked, grab your Mounties hat, and let's have at it!"

"Are you serious?" he laughs.

"Well, not right this second, but I think that we should start working towards the idea of a family right after we're married… how does that sound?"

"I think that sounds great."

The two sit on the bed for awhile, holding each other closely as they think about the whole package that they both get in the near future.

"Oh man!"

"What?"

"Well, if I'm not pregnant, then that means that I'm just fat!"

"Wha… oh, I get it. No, you are NOT fat."

"Yeah, well, tell that to my wedding dress then bucko, cause it's not zippin!" she shoots of the bed, in somewhat of a panic.

"Lorelai, where are you going?"

"Home! I have to figure out what to do about this dress!"

She ran home as fast as she could and was met in the living room with a quiet Rory sitting on the couch. When Lorelai stopped to take in the scene, she saw that Rory was in there without anything on, just sitting alone in contemplation mode.

"No TV, no book… what's up kid?"

"So…"

"So…so… what, Rory?"

"You look happy." she says with a tone that Lorelai can't recognize, because it seems to be bordering on disappointed and happy at the same time.

"I really am hon, I really am…you know that, right?"

"Yeah, I _do_ know… I've gotta say that this is one lucky kid… I mean, I had it great, but with you as a mom and Luke as a dad, I don't think that I could be happier."

"What?" clearly understanding what Rory was saying, but not knowing how she could have known about what just happened between her and Luke.

"Why didn't you say anything when you left? I mean, I know that you wanted Luke to know right away, but you just walked out on me and Sookie, and I didn't know if you were okay or not. Then, finally when Sookie left and I was sitting here, I figured it all out, but what I couldn't figure out was why you didn't say anything to me right away."

"I'm not pregnant Rory…"

"Oh…" she said quietly, looking down shyly because of her mistake.

"I did, however think that I was, and that was why I bolted out of here."

"But you aren't?"

At the question, Lorelai's face held a bit of a sad expression, and she shook her head no.

"Hon, you have to realize that if I was actually pregnant, that it was totally unexpected, and with all of the chaos with the wedding coming up so fast, I freaked out. I didn't even go see Luke right away… I drove around Hartford for a while, and then I drove to Litchfield, and then I drove to New Haven, and I bought a pregnancy test there with the full intention of ripping it open and taking it in the walgreens' bathroom."

"Mom, you could've—"

"Sweets, I know, and that's why I didn't do it. I was sitting in the jeep thinking about what this meant, and I realized that I wasn't sixteen anymore, and I didn't have to do this alone. I have Luke, who is supposed to be my partner in everything, and if I was pregnant, was certainly the reason for my condition, and I knew that he would be with me through it all. I knew that if I went home to you, that you would be nothing but supportive too, but in the back of my head Rory, I was sixteen again. I was huddled in a ball in the corner of my room because my dress didn't fit, and I knew that the only reason was because of a lot of Jose Cuervo and your father, and I freaked out."

"But you came to your senses, and you went to see Luke?"

"Yes, and I hope that you understand why I went to see Luke and why I didn't say anything to you when I ran out of here."

"I do, I really do. I think that I just freaked out for a minute myself."

Lorelai then pulls Rory into an embrace as she sits down on the couch beside her, and they have a few moments together in the quiet. After a little while, a small smile forms on Lorelai's face, which doesn't go unnoticed by Rory.

"What?" she asks, sitting up to face her mother.

"Well, good did come out of this little scare…"

"Oh really? And what was that?"

"What would you think about having a little half brother or sister in like a year or so?"

"Really? You and Luke?"

"Yeah… well, you remember that he and I had that conversation one time, and that he said if he ever met the right person that there would be a conversation?"

"aww… you're the right person!"

"I guess I must be!" she exclaims, throwing her hands up in the air.

"I also remember though a conversation that you had with him about jam hands right before Jess came to stay, and then there was that whole breastfeeding/crazy choo choo thing in the diner."

"But, we've always known that Luke was a big softie!"

"Very true!"

"So, then if you're not pregnant then that means that our crazy eating habits and your slowing metabolism are catching up with you!" Rory says, with humor in her tone.

"Hey!"

"I'm just joking! We'll get it altered before the wedding."

"Well, we only have a little over a month to get the rest of this stuff done, and I should probably work out cleaning out the house for Luke to move in."

"Why don't we work on getting through the clutter over my spring break?"

"That's next week right?"

"Yeah, we can go through everything, and make room for Luke."

"Okay, let's do that then!"

Lorelai actually seemed excited about the prospect of them cleaning out the house, which for Lorelai, was a big, giant leap, because she hated cleaning. It was then that Rory knew that this was it. With Max, nothing was ever final, and it didn't fit the right way. With Luke, not only did it fit the right way, but it fit RIGHT away. The thought made Rory smile.

"What are you smiling about?"

"The same thing you are."

"You were not even thinking about Luke, cause that would be kinda weird." she says, making a funny face.

"I was thinking about Luke, but obviously not in the same way that you were."

"Yeah, well, I hope not!" she pauses, letting the quiet settle between them before asking, "What were you thinking about Luke?"

"Just that this is right… for all parties involved."

"Really?"

"Yeah, mom. I don't think that I could have pictured anything more perfect for you. He was automatically at home with you and with us and this house. You realize that you let the rules go out the window with Luke?"

"No, I didn't really, cause you were at school, so it didn't matter that he was staying over…"

"Oh, yeah, well, what about Jason? He was never over here, and you didn't even let him see Stars Hallow and meet people until you had been dating him for four months."

"But that was different…"

"Yeah, okay, but then what about Max?"

"What about Max?"

"You were engaged to him and he stayed a total of two nights in our house, one of which he spent on the couch, and the other he spent alone because you crawled into bed with me."

"So, your point being that Luke is a good choice then?"

"Not good… perfect."

Lorelai smiled, knowing that her daughter was right in every respect. It seemed like everything was falling into place, and they only had about a month to go until she was Mrs. Lorelai Danes.

_Okay, so I obviously decided that she needs to not be pregnant, because that would be the cliché way to go with this story… not that anything else that has happened in this story hasn't been absolutely cliché, but hey, we can't be perfect, so that's that! I think I might rustle up a little bit between Emily and Lorelai in this next chapter, and I promise that Mia is going to be back soon, and I promise that there is going to be a wedding, and soon! Ooh, maybe I'll throw a little Chris in the mix? hmmm… let me know! R/R!_


	9. It All Hits the Fan

The next week flew by, and the dress was back at the shop they got it in, being altered for the big day. The wedding was now in three weeks, so all were going crazy, including Sookie, who has set into a schedule of hyperventilating around 3 every day. It seemed like it was all going to work out in the end though, so the girls weren't too worried.

Saturday morning, the girls woke up at a somewhat reasonable time, ready to clean the house up, and made their way to Luke's for some coffee.

"Hey Luke!"

"Ladies, what can I get you this morning?"

"A kiss, and coffee!" Lorelai says, pointing to her lips, and waiting for Luke to lean down and give her a proper greeting.

"Good morning crazy lady, did you sleep well?"

"Not really, I'm too excited and I'm too nervous, and you weren't there, so I was miserable."

"Well, I'm sorry that I made you miserable." he says, and then turns to Rory and asks her if she wants the same as her mother.

"Yup, but hold the kiss…"

He laughs, and then turns to the counter where Lane already has two to go cups ready for the fabulous twosome. He hands both cups off to the girls and they stand up to leave.

"You're leaving already? Why aren't you having any breakfast?"

"Obviously you weren't listening last night, cause I told you that we were cleaning today, silly man!" Lorelai says, with a "duh" expression on her face.

"Wait, you were actually serious about cleaning?" Luke replies with an expression of wonder.

"Well, it's either we clean, or you throw all your stuff in a big pile on my bedroom floor, and we can jump in it when you need to find your clothes in the morning."

"uh-"

"ooh, wait, that sounds fun!" she says, sitting back down. "we can order now, cause I don't have anything planned for the rest of the day!"

"Mom, you are not doing this to poor Luke, now come on, we've got work to do missy!" Rory says in her commanding, but still too soft to be really threatening voice, while pushing her mother out of the diner."

Luke looks after his future wife and step daughter with a smile on his face, shaking his head. He really was a lucky man, even if she was a little bit crazy.

Once the girls finally get back to the house, Rory decides that they need to start with Lorelai's room, and they head up stairs.

"So, what do we tackle first, the mountain of shoes, or the plethora of clothing?"

"umm, neither, cause I'm not giving any of that up! Now that I'm married, I have to make sure that I look exceptionally hot, cause then when the guys want me, I can flash my ring and tell them that I'm married."

"You realize how wrong that is, don't you?"

"I never said that my thought processes were normal to average human beings, Rory, but they suit me just fine."

"We're going through the closet first."

Lorelai whines a bit and sprawls out on the bed with her eyes closed as Rory starts to yank clothing off of the hangers that she knows that her mother doesn't wear anymore.

With each piece of clothing, Rory gives an explanation to justify her making her mother give it up.

"What were you thinking" Toss.

"Too School marmish." Throw.

"I don't even want to know." Toss.

"Flashdance phase." Pitch.

"Mine." Toss out the door.

"Won't go out in public with you if you wear this." Toss.

"Luke won't go out with you in this." Pitch.

"Mine again." Toss out the door.

"Rory, these are some great clothes! The eighties are back in style again, haven't you been reading Cosmo?"

"Yeah, but it's the modern eighties look, not the flashdance eighties look mom, and you are not going out of the house in that shirt."

"But Rory!"

"Okay, I'm going to make you go clean the attic all by yourself if you don't get rid of more of these clothes."

"Fine." she says, sitting up and stomping out of her room.

"Tell the big spiders up there that I say hi!" Rory yells, from inside the closet.

When she gets back out again, she jumps, noticing her mother standing in the doorway again.

"What? Did Mr. Daddy Long Legs kick you out too?" she says with a pout.

"Fine, I'll get rid of more clothes, but you have to get rid of some of yours too!"

"Me? Why? I'm not the one with a boy moving into my room!"

"Yeah, but – " Lorelai starts, but is interrupted by her cell phone ringing downstairs.

She runs down the stairs and picks up the phone without checking the caller ID.

"_Miss Gilmore?"_

"The one and only… well, not really, cause my daughter… anyways, yes, this is she."

"_I'm just calling to let you know that your bridal gown is ready, and you can pick it up at any time."_

"Oh, really! Thank you very much! I'll probably be in soon then!"

"_We'll see you then Miss Gilmore."_

With this, she hangs up and runs upstairs to where Rory is still emptying her closet. Obviously excited, she's jumping up and down when she reaches her bedroom.

"Guess what!"

"What!"

"My dress is ready!"

"ooh, that's exciting!"

"I know! I think I'm going to call Sookie and see if she wants to come with me, and go pick it up… do you mind?"

"No, it'll let me clear out part of your wardrobe without you freaking out behind me the whole time."

"Just don't try to donate everything, okay?"

"yeah, I considered that, because I've always thought that Star Hallow should really be a nudist colony… who knows what Kirk and Taylor are hiding under there."

"Rory… you just went to a place that I never want you to go again."

"Oh my God, you're right… that was disgusting!"

"We'll both be so freaked out for a month that we probably won't ever talk to Taylor, so I guess that's a positive."

"Eww.."

"What?"

"Bad Mental Image… stupid, stupid comeback!"

"You are your mother's child, you ramble before you think… the Gilmore way!"

"Go get your dress."

She leaves Rory, and before she knows it, is standing in the mall with Sookie, walking towards the wedding boutique where they bought the dress.

"ooh, this is so exciting!" Sookie says, clapping her hands together.

"Sookie, calm down, we're just picking my dress up, it's not like I'm getting married today."

"I know, but I finally get to see what it looks like on you, so I'm excited!"

"Well, then I'm glad that you could come with me."

They reach the store, and approach the counter, explaining what they were there to do. The sales associate grabs the dress out of the back, and directs Lorelai to the changing room to try it on so they can make sure that it fits.

As Sookie is waiting for Lorelai to come back out, she is snapped out of her reverie by a familiar voice.

"Sookie? What are you doing here?" Emily Gilmore says, walking into the store with curiousity.

"Oh, we came by to get Lorelai's dress, cause she was getting it altered."

"It fit perfectly when she bought it, what was wrong?"

"Well, we were trying on our bridesmaid dresses, and we made her try on her wedding dress, even though she was secretly doing that right after she bought it, and it didn't fit any more. She couldn't get it to zip, so we rushed it over her to get it let out a little bit for the big day."

"I see." she says, taking in their reason for being there. There was hesitation in her reply though, that could only mean that she had suspicions as to why the dress no longer fit.

As she was about to ask Sookie more about what happened, Lorelai came out of the dressing room in her gown.

"Mom? What are you doing here?"

"I was actually shopping for yours and Luke's wedding gift when I saw Sookie in here, so I thought I would say hi."

"Lorelai, it looks beautiful! Rory was right, and Mia really did pick out the perfect gown."

Emily flinched, and it seemed like all they had worked for in the past months was starting to slip away.

"Sookie tells me that you had to get the dress altered, is that right?"

"Yeah, I went to try it on again the other day, and I couldn't get it to fit right, so we brought it back to alter."

"hmm…well, it looks good now."

"yeah, I think it does. I'm really happy that they were able to let it out a bit… I think I'm going to take it off so Rory and I can get back to cleaning out the house for Luke's stuff."

Lorelai makes her way off the podium and into the dressing room when she hears her mother call for her. Knowing exactly what is going to happen, Lorelai stays right where she is, and waits for the assault.

"Lorelai?"

"yes." she says with an even tone, not wanting to show any attitude and make this any worse.

"When were you going to tell me? Or were you going to wait a month or so like the last time your dress didn't fit. I can't believe that you did this again! I mean, at least you're getting married in a month and you can pass it off as a honeymoon baby, but really! Did we raise you to be so irresponsible?"

"I'm not pregnant mom…I thought I was, and I freaked out, and I ran to Luke, and I took the test, and I'm not pregnant. I think that all the stress with the wedding and everything made me gain and inch or so."

"You sound disappointed."

Looking down, Lorelai didn't want to share her feelings with her mother.

"You _are _disappointed?"

"Well, yes and no, because we didn't want to have me pregnant for the wedding, but yes, because we realized that we really do want to start a family right away."

"You and Luke want to start a family?"

"yes, mom, Luke… you met him… I'm marrying him in three weeks."

"Lorelai, please! I know who Luke is, it just surprised me."

They stood together in silence for a few moments. For the longest time, Emily and Lorelai had the worst relationship, and it seemed like, for once, all was going well with the two of them. She really had grown to like Luke, certainly not love him, because that would be very un-Emily Gilmore, but she did like him. Her granddaughter approved and loved the man more than her own father, and it seemed like Lorelai glowed when she was around him. She knew that this wasn't a battle worth fighting.

"Why would it surprise you?"

"I don't know, you've just never mentioned having another child before, so I assumed that Rory would be your only."

"Well, I've never been so in love with someone that I wanted to have another kid."

"Then, I guess that I think that is a wonderful idea…" she said, trailing off, but not sounding insincere.

"Then I'm glad." she smiled. "Do you think that you could let me change, so Sookie and I can head out?"

"Oh certainly!" she says, stepping out of the room, but staying close enough to still converse with Lorelai. "So, you and Rory are cleaning the house?"

"Yeah, the crap shack needs to have room for the boy, so we're cleaning some stuff out that we don't need anymore to make room for him."

"The crap shack?"

"Don't ask mom, you don't want to know."

"All right then, I won't…so lots of changes then?"

"Yes, but certainly good ones. Luke and I have been friends for so long that we're just natural together though, so it doesn't seem like big changes." she yells from the dressing room, and then throws the curtain open to get out.

"Well, are you all set then?"

"Yup, the dress is perfect and the wedding is 3 weeks away, and all is well with the world."

The two walk out to join Sookie, who was admiring the wedding dresses in the store with a gleam in her eye.

"I wish I could get married!" she says in her Sookie-like manner.

"Uh… hon, you are married… remember… Jackson… father of your two children."

"Yeah, I know, but I like doing all the wedding stuff though! It's so exciting!"

"Well, you get to do it with me, and one day when Rory gets married, and then one day when your little girl grows up too… so you've got plenty of weddings in your future."

She shrugs and the girls walk up to the counter to tell the woman that the dress is fine. All three of them then leave with the dress in tow, and step out into the crowded Hartford mall. It seems like everyone in the town came to the mall today.

"Well, I will see you ladies soon, because I have some shopping to do."

"What'cha gonna get us mom?" Lorelai says excitedly.

"I'm certainly not going to tell you!" replies Emily, very matter of factly.

"Why not, we're going to find out eventually!"

"yes, but I don't want to spoil the fun of it, so I'm not going to tell you!"

"Ooh, will you tell me!" Sookie asks her.

"Fine, I'll tell you…" Emily says, and then notices a sly grin come across the face of her daughter. "Wait, no I won't… you'll tell her."

"No I won't!"

"At least not voluntarily…" Lorelai hints.

"I'm sorry, Sookie, but I can't tell you… you'll just have to wait like Lorelai and Luke do."

"Man, and I thought I would have you if you told her… this stinks!" Lorelai pouts at her mother who starts walking away from her.

"Goodbye Lorelai." she calls over her shoulder.

Present forgotten, Sookie and Lorelai make their way through the mall. Unknown to them, someone is watching them as they walk through the mall. He didn't expect her to be here, but he was glad she was. She looked gorgeous as always, but there was something different about her. She seemed so happy, which means that she's obviously got a new man in her life. That wouldn't be an issue though. He continues to watch her and Sookie as they stroll casually, laughing at each other as they walk. A few minutes into his spy efforts, his eye catches on something. It sparkled as it caught the light for a few seconds, so he made a point to get a little bit closer. He quickly realized that this wasn't the typical Lorelai fun jewelry that she was donning, but a delicate but gorgeous engagement ring attached to her left hand.

He stepped back mentally, wondering who she could meet in less than a year that she would jump into marrying. Shaking his head, he kept wondering as he walked to the other side of the mall away from him and towards his car.

"I'm just going to have to find out." he said, getting into his silver Volvo and pulling off towards his hotel.

_dun dun dun! hehe… I LOVE cliffhangers! They are sooooo evil, but then I thought about it, and at least fanfic writers are nicer than the actual show creators… I mean come on… with X-files between 4th and 5th season you thought Mulder was dead and between 7th and 8th, Scully was pregnant and Mulder was abducted. With Gilmore girls, between 4th and 5th, Luke and Lorelai kiss and Rory sleeps with married Dean, and then the mother of all that is mean to fans, at the end of 5th season, Lorelai proposes to Luke! Oh my gosh, are they hoping for us to all drop dead, cause this isn't the way to go. Shame on them for making us wait. I will update soon, and thank you for reviewing, cause it really does mean a lot to me that you guys like my writing! And it keeps my creative juices flowing, so R/R! Thanks… and Mia will be back in the next chapter, I Promise!_

_P.S. **Lukelandroryndean**… I promise that I'll do the Chris thing really short, and it will end in a good way that hopefully you can appreciate… cause honestly, I hate him too! It totally matters to me what you think of the story, and I appreciate that you gave me some feedback. Chris will be like a band-aid… quick and painless, I promise! Let me know after the next chapter how you like the Chris turnout…_


	10. Alien Daughter

Christopher trailed them back to Stars Hallow, where Lorelai stopped first at the diner to see Luke. It never really crossed his mind that the two of them could be back together, but she knew that he was her friend. Really, he didn't want Lorelai to be un happy, he just wanted her to be with him. He still remembers Emily's call to him the day after their vow renewal…

"_Christopher, I gave you the time, I gave you the place, and I practically gave you her on a silver platter… what the hell is your problem!"_

"_What do you mean, what is my problem? I tried to get Lorelai back, but she didn't want to talk to me, and all she wanted to do was go after this Luke guy."_

"_The whole idea was to get her away from the diner man and back with you, but you were obviously too stupid to realize that. I'm really surprised at you Christopher… I thought you to be a more intelligent man."_

"_Well I'm sorry Emily, but there's nothing that I can do now."_

"_Fine. At least the first part worked and she's not with that ridiculous man anymore. I'm perfectly happy with that, and you can do whatever you want with the knowledge of her current state of being single. Preferably, you will go to her again, apologize, make up, and all will be well…goodbye Christopher."_

She had hung up, and all that he could think about was what he could do about Lorelai. As he watched her sitting on the stool in the diner from his hidden spot he took in her mannerisms. She really did look beautiful, so whoever this guy was, he was doing his job and making her happy. He could tell that she was in a stubborn mood, cause she looked like she had her face scrunched up and a pout on her lips. Luke said something to her, and she seemed to brighten up instantly, a huge smile spreading across her face. He was taken back when she stood up and pressed her lips to his for a long, passionate kiss.

After they broke apart, he started his car and made the trip back to Boston, with the intention of figuring out what exactly he was going to do about this new development. She was engaged to Luke, and it all made no sense. With the crap that he pulled at that wedding, they wouldn't have lasted. Luke couldn't ever really trust her when he was in the picture, and he knew that Emily wanted Lorelai to be with the father of her granddaughter. All the odds were against them, and they were planning on getting married?

The Volvo speed off in the direction of Boston as Lorelai left the diner and headed towards home.

When she got home after her adventure at the mall, picking up her dress, she called out for Rory, who had probably given up by now on cleaning the house.

"Rory!"

"I'm up here mom!" she called from what sounded like the bedroom.

"Where are you? Are you still in my room?" she answered back to her while making her way up the stairs to the bedroom.

"Have you been – " she stopped and took in the room. Half of the closet was cleaned out, and due to some unbelievable organizational skills, her shoes were all neatly arranged on the floor of it, with just a few spots for Luke to place his. She looked in the drawers at all the space that Rory made, and was thoroughly amazed by how clean and tidy everything looked.

Lorelai then turned silently to Rory… "Who are you? And what did you do to my daughter…and more importantly all my clothes."

"I, darling mother of mine, discover the wonder of the 'under-the-bed box'." she said, lifting up the dust ruffle of Lorelai's bed to discover a few boxes with clothes folded inside."

"Cool! So, you didn't take anything away from mommy?" she said with a hopeful look on her face.

"No, I took plenty away, I'm just not going to tell you what, and you're going to deal with it, because even with these boxes, Luke only has a limited amount of space in this room."

"Wow, I really am impressed kid!" she pats Rory on the shoulder and directs her out of the room and down the stairs.

The two fall onto the couch not-so-gracefully, with Rory spent from cleaning, and Lorelai just being Lorelai.

"So, how'd the dress look?"

"Great! I'm glad that they did it so fast. I'm ready for the wedding."

"Oh, yeah! Mia called, and she said that she's going to come and stay starting next weekend, cause she wants to be here leading up to the wedding."

"Oh, she does?"

"Yup, we're going to pick her up from the Hartford airport this coming Saturday."

"Yay!"

"So… what is the next project?"

"I have no idea. Should we tackle the attic?"

"Remember Mr. Daddy Long Legs though… I don't think that I really want to have a chat with him. And who knows what else is crawling up there."

"Then lets go through the living room and the kitchen and make space, and then when Luke comes over tonight, I can use my powers of persuasion to ask him to clean the attic."

"The kitchen? We never use the kitchen, so why do we need to clean the kitchen?"

"Well you remember how, when we didn't have any room to put something in our own rooms or in the closet or in the attic and I said that I'd take care of it?" she says, getting up and motioning for Rory to follow her into the kitchen.

"Yeah?"

"Well…" she says, opening a few of the lower cupboards and revealing a secret stash of random stuff that the girls had accumulated over the years.

"Did your mother ever tell you to not hide things under your bed?"

"No, but the maid did… and this doesn't count cause it's the kitchen!"

"Totally the same!"

"So NOT the same!"

After a lot of arguing and plenty of protest from Lorelai about things that she was getting rid of, the girls finished cleaning the house so that Luke could move all of his stuff in. Later that night, completely spent after their day of cleaning, the two sat on the couch in peace, and none other than the diner man came through the door.

"Hey, I'm here!" he said, walking to the kitchen to put the bags of food he brought home down.

When he walked into the living room, his eyes were set upon something that he couldn't wait to see for the rest of his life. Lorelai was sort of sitting up, laying her head on the arm rest of the sofa, with her hand laying gently on the head of her daughter, which had found its way into her lap. She had obviously fallen asleep stroking her hair, which he had seen her do repeatedly to Rory. The two were a picture perfect pair.

"Lorelai?" he whispered.

"hmmm?"

"Lorelai… hey, it's time to get up." he answers her grunt with another whisper.

"I don't want to get up, I'm too tired." she says groggily.

"I brought you some food, and it's in the kitchen… but you have to get up to get it."

"Rory, he brought food…" she says still in sleepy-Lorelai mode.

"hmmmph…sleep…" Rory mumbles into her mother's lap.

"Well, I can see that this is a lost cause… come on." he says, bending up to pick Rory up off of her mother and carry her to her room.

She curled up into Luke's arms, obviously feeling safe and comfortable in his actions. After putting her down on the bed, he slipped her shoes off and covered her with a blanket.

"Love you Luke…"

"I love you too, kid" he says, as he leans down and places a kiss on her forehead.

"If I didn't know any better, I would say that she likes you Mr. Danes." Lorelai said from the doorway, where she had seen the scene unfold.

"I thought that you were still passed out on the couch?" he asks while walking out into the kitchen and quietly closing Rory's door.

"Well, you took my human blanket, so I looked up and saw you carrying her in here, and then I remembered that you said something about food. You can't mention food and not have me get up Luke, don't you know this?"

"Yes, I do… please forgive my stupidity."

The week went on, and when Saturday came, the girls piled in Lorelai's Jeep in search of Hartford's airport to pick up one of their favorite people in the world. When they arrived, Mia's plane was just getting to the gate, so they waited for a few minutes for her to get off, and finally she was there.

"Mia!" they both screamed at the sight of her.

"Well, hello girls!"

"Mia, you don't know how much it means to me that you are going to be here for the wedding, and it means a lot to Luke too." Lorelai says, hugging the woman before her.

"Well, you and Lucas certainly deserve each other, so I wouldn't miss this day for the world! Now, let's get my bags and make our way out! We've got some last minute wedding details to pan out, I'm sure."

As they were walking down to baggage claim, Lorelai filled Mia in on all that had been happening with the wedding plans, leaving out the minor scare that the two had the past month.

"It sounds like you've got everything under control then!"

"Yeah, it seems like we do, surprisingly, because this has been quite the ordeal."

"And you and your mother…how has that been?"

"Actually… good. There were a few touch and go moments and this past month I thought we were going back to our old ways, but all ended up being well."

"Has there been some recent drama?"

"We'll tell you all about that later, but we'll just say that it all ends really well, and it has a lot to do with the honeymoon!" Lorelai starts to laugh at her own little joke, insinuating exactly what they hoped was going to happen on the honeymoon, when she abruptly stops the laughing.

"Mom, what?"

"The Honeymoon!"

"What about it?"

"We haven't planned one! Oh my gosh, that was where we wanted to… um… but we haven't even… MAN!"

"Okay, so complete sentences are not only grammatically correct, but also helpful in determining what you're freaking out about…so repeat that?"

"Luke and I haven't talked about a honeymoon at all. We have to have a honeymoon, don't we?"

_So… I'm sorry, but I was having some sever writers block that I think is still there… so this chapter kinda blows the big one… I'm sorry that it took me this long to update too! I promise that I haven't forgotten about you all! Hopefully I'll be able to think some more and get some more fabulous ideas running through my head! R and R… but be gentle with this one, cause it's not top notch._


	11. A Change of Plans

The ride home seemed like a long one as Lorelai was in panic mode about the minor detail that she and Luke left out of the planning. Pulling up to the diner, she threw the jeep into park and opened her door, high-tailing it inside.

"Luke!"

Running from behind the counter and putting a hand on her shoulder, "What's wrong? Are you okay? Is Rory okay?"

"What about the honeymoon?"

"What? What are you talking about? Lorelai, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, but what about the honeymoon?"

"What honeymoon?"

"Exactly…" she says, finding a seat at the counter and putting her head in her hands with a frustrated sigh.

Getting quite the amused look on his face, after realizing what her panic was about, Luke goes behind the counter to get her some coffee. "You mean our honeymoon?"

"Or lack thereof!" she says, looking up at him through her fingers and then throwing her hands up in the air.

Meanwhile, Rory and Mia stood outside, watching the events unfold inside the diner.

"So, do you think that he'll tell her?"

"Probably. He won't want her to have a melt down."

"He might leave out the part about Grandma and Grandpa paying for it until the wedding, but he'll tell her that he's got it under control. I'm surprised it took her this long to realize that she's forgotten about it."

"Your mother has had a lot on her mind recently, I can see why she's a bit scatterbrained." Mia says, putting an arm around Rory.

"Yeah, the wedding among other life changing thoughts has had mom a little bit stressed, but she seems to be okay."

"Other life changing thoughts?"

"I'll let mom tell you about that one… we'll just say that we had an incident a few weeks ago, but all should be okay now."

"She is lucky to have had you around for these past months little one."

"Well, Luke has been there too… he really is great for mom." she says, while casting a glance inside the diner yet again.

"I would have to agree with you on that."

"ooh! Look!" she says, pointing into the diner where she sees Lorelai practically climbing on the counter to kiss her fiancé.

"Do you think it's safe to go in?" Mia asks.

"Yeah, I think it's safe." she says nodding and starting to walk into the diner, where her mom and Luke are still caught up in quite the kiss. "ahem… excuse me, daughter in the diner… keep it PG up in here folks."

Breaking off their kiss, Lorelai jumps away from Luke and starts jumping up and down, "Rory, guess what, guess what!"

"Luke has the honeymoon planned and you didn't have to do anything for it?" replies her daughter with an uncharacteristic monotone only paralleled by the diner man himself.

Lorelai stops jumping and narrows her eyes, looking from her daughter to Luke slowly and then back to her daughter. "You are evil!"

"Well, call me Lucifer. You're happy aren't you?"

"How long have the two of you been in cahoots with this little scheme of yours?"

"There was no cahooting... Luke had it all planned out, and told me to tell him if you mentioned starting to plan for a honeymoon, so that he could tell you what he was doing before you booked an airline."

"And when was this clandestine exchange of information?"

"Well… a few months ago, wasn't it Luke?" she says with an amused expression.

Leaning on the back counter with a similar expression and arms folded casually, he responds, "yeah, I would say around there."

"You've known about this for months and you didn't tell me!"

"Well, like I said, my instructions were to wait until you mentioned the honeymoon, and that wasn't really until today when you had your little freak out. You were obviously a bit distracted, considering you didn't really think about it until a week before the wedding!"

"hmmph" she sighs as she sits back down at the counter pouting.

"Lorelai, your husband to be and your daughter did a good thing, because you didn't have to worry about planning it. You should be happy!" Mia interjects.

"yeah, well, it still would have been cool to know about it."

After a few minutes and Luke coming out with their order of food, Lorelai realized that she hadn't asked the important questions that she needed to ask regarding their little honeymoon.

"Wait… Luke?"

"yeah?"

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see when we get there."

"Oh no no no friend, it doesn't work like that. I need to know what to pack, is it sunny, rainy, snowy, cold, humid, hot, tropical, arctic…"

"Lorelai, do you really think that I would send us packing to somewhere cold, snowy, or arctic for our honeymoon?"

"Well, I don't know… you're Mr. outdoor man… guy… you could think that an igloo is romantic."

"Count on warm weather, possibly hot, limited amount of clothing needed."

"I was counting on that anyway." she says with a wink.

"OH my God, MOM! That was extremely dirty… ugh… ewww."

Mia, turning to Rory, placing a hand on hers replies in the gentlest of tones, "Rory, honey, how do you think you got here?"

Ladies and gentleman, a pin could drop around them and you could hear it. Lorelai and Luke's eyes went wide, and Rory's mouth dropped open at the comment.

Turning to look and Luke and Lorelai, she questioned, "What, can't an old woman make a joke every now and then?"

At this, Lorelai proceeded to laugh, which was slowly followed by Rory, who couldn't keep it in any more. Even Luke had to smirk at the uncharacteristic comment she made.

As a few days went by and the wedding got closer and closer, surprisingly the stress was at a low. With Mia coming in for the occasion and Emily seeming to be in the Hallow every two seconds to check on something, it all seemed organized and ready to go off without a hitch.

Sookie had the cooking down to a precise art, knowing exactly what needed to be done before she walked down the aisle in the wedding party, exactly how much time it took for the ceremony, and then approximately how long it would take her to greet people before heading back to the kitchen.

Luke was ready to go, with deciding on Jackson as his best man, and his tux ready and hanging up in his soon to be old apartment. Jess was coming as a groomsman, and Liz and TJ said that they were going to make an appearance as well, so his excitement was the sarcastic type.

Rory seemed to be attached to Lorelai more so than ever, which Lorelai couldn't place, but didn't want to turn her away.

"So are you okay with everything? The dress is good and our dresses are good?"

"The dresses are perfect. Everything is set."

"Yeah, and how are you?"

"I am fabulously stress free thanks to you and Mia and Sookie, and even my mother." she says, pulling Rory down to sit on the couch beside her.

They sat for a moment in silent company, looking around at the house and the years of memories that came with it.

"So….you're good?"

Finally, breaking, Lorelai patted her on the knee and turned to talk to her. "Rory! Are you trying to tell me you're pregnant or leaving me to join a cult or something, cause you're concern for my well being and calmness was cute until about fifteen 'how are yous' ago."

Rory bit her lip, contemplating what exactly to say next.

"I'm freaking out a little bit."

"What? Rory… why?"

"You'll think it's stupid" she says, shaking her head and looking down at her lap.

Trying to get their eyes to meet, Lorelai puts and hand under her chin and looks her straight in the eye. "Never…"

Silence filled the room yet again.

"Rory… come on… what's up? Are you freaking out about the wedding?"

Without a response to go off of, Lorelai asked her again. "Are you freaking about me marrying Luke?"

"No… yes… No… well… I'm freaking, but I'm at least not freaking in the way that you're thinking that I am freaking out about you marrying Luke."

"woah… you've got to back that train up and explain that whole jumble, kid, cause I couldn't keep up." she says, smoothing Rory's hair back from her face.

"It's kind of about Max and all that happened with that…"

"Okay, what about Max?"

"This is about the time that you bailed when you and Max were getting married… and I know that you keep saying that you aren't freaking, and that you're happy, and that you're fine, but you said the same thing with Max, and then you left… well, we left, but none the less, there was no meeting at the end of the aisle for you two, and it's freaking me out. I loved Max. At least I thought that I loved Max, which I know isn't true because I know that I love Luke. I'm just freaking out, and now, by me freaking out, it's going to freak you out and then… hello road trip to California for the girls!" she said, seeming to say it in all one breath and letting some out still in a huff while falling back onto the couch.

Lorelai stopped for a moment to think about what she just said. She was right about the timing and everything, but Luke really was different. This really was meant to be, and she knew that it was.

"Rory, can I tell you something?"

"oh no… you are having second thoughts and this totally – "

"No! Woah, Rory! Calm down, I'm not bailing."

"No?"

"Hell no! Rory, you are missing a very important part about this time… I love Luke. I am fully head over heals in love with Luke, and nothing could ever change that. I am so far from bailing that if you wanted me to bail I'd probably handcuff myself to the stairs so you couldn't force me to do it!"

"That's pretty solid"

"Yeah, you're tellin me!…I know from personal experience that the banister can –"

"You can stop right there and save me the year of therapy thank you very much."

"Yeah, sorry about that. But, you know that I love Luke, and I want nothing more than to marry him, don't you?"

"I do, I just had a minor freak out, and I'm sorry."

Pulling her daughter close, she stroked her hair as they grew quiet again, Lorelai seeming to be quite deep in thought for sometime.

"Rory?"

"Yeah?"

"Change in plans! Get up!" Lorelai screams, getting up and half throwing Rory off of her in the process of it all.

"What?" You could see Rory's eyes practically bugging out at this declaration.

"I don't want to get married on Saturday…"

"Mom? You can't do this… you can't do this to Luke… or to yourself…" she starts in on convincing her mother out of it when she notices a glimmer in her eye "what? Oh my God, are you joking with me, cause that totally sucks!"

"No, I'm not joking. I don't want to get married on Saturday, I want to get married today."

"Mom? What?"

"Just get into a cute outfit and meet me in the living room in ten minutes!" she says, grabbing her cell phone and running upstairs to call who Rory assumes is Luke.

Realizing that her mother wasn't kidding, she ran to her room to change.

As Rory was changing, Luke was on the phone with Lorelai.

"Luke, do you love me?"

"_No, not at all… which is why I'm marrying you. Lorelai what kind –"_

"Do you love me enough to do something with no questions?"

"_Coming from you, I don't know… but I guess so."_

"Put on a suit and call Lane to come fill in for you. Be ready, at the diner in fifteen minutes."

"_What? Lorelai, why?"_

"Obviously you missed the whole no questions part of the conversation… just do it, please!"

"_Fifteen minutes"_

She pushed a button on the phone to end her call and pushed a few more to call the Dragonfly, where Sookie was no doubt freaking out about Saturday still.

"_Dragonfly Inn, Michel speaking, how can I help you?"_

"Michel, it's me, can I talk to Sookie?"

"_I don't know… are you capable of speech?"_

"Michel, shut up and go give the phone to Sookie."

"_Fine, I will. However, I'm only doing this because you control my paycheck."_

"Well, at least we're clear that no altruistic motivation was involved in this decision."

After a few minutes, Sookie gets on the line and Lorelai tells her the same thing that she told Luke, to be ready in fifteen minutes looking presentable. Sookie, always up for a surprise was ready and willing to go.

The calls having been made, Lorelai proceeds to fight through her closet clutter and find a simple springy dress to wear with some strappy sandals to go with it. Running down the stairs, she finds Rory sitting on the couch, ready to go, but with a confused look on her face.

"Now that I've done what you have asked me to do, are you going to explain to me what is happening?"

"I don't want to wait."

"Mom, you only have to wait like 4 days, and then you'll be married."

"Rory, you of all people who have known me all of your life, know that I have the patience of a five year old, and when I was talking to you about all of this, I realized that this really is what I want. I want my middle, I want to have more kids, I want to grow old with one guy by my side, and I want to be happy. All of this, I want to start right now."

Smiling, Rory stands up from the couch and links her arm through Lorelai's. "Then let's go get Luke."

"I know that this was said last time when I was bailing, but it seems appropriate in this situation as well. You are totally crazy, and I love that about you."

"Well, chip off the o—" with this she starts to get a glare from Lorelai and then continues "o—verly beautiful and stunning block!"

"Good save!"

"I learn from the best!"

_Okay, so that's it for this chapter! I hope that you enjoyed it. I've been pretty bogged down with stuff, so sorry that it took so long to update it! Thanks to those of you who e-mailed me and stuff, cause that was cool. Read/Review! Hopefully soon!_


	12. Their Own Little Secret

As they pull up to the diner, Luke is standing outside, expecting their arrival. Lorelai, too excited to think, gets out of the car and runs to him.

"Lorelai? Why am I in a suit?"

"You love me, right?"

"I think that we have established that, yes."

She kisses him quickly at the corner of his mouth and grabs both of his hands. Then she drops the bomb. "I don't want to get married on Saturday!" she says matter of factly with a smile on her face.

Luke automatically goes into panic mode and searches Lorelai's smiling face, then quickly glances to an equally as smiling Rory. "What?"

"I want to get married now… not Saturday…can we do that?"

"Lorelai, why?"

"Because, I want my middle to start now." She says, but then seeing the confused look on Luke's face, she continues, "I was talking to Rory, and she was so kindly reminding me of my last wedding mishap, and I was trying to think about what made me call it off. Little did you know that it was you and something that I felt there that caused me to rethink things. It wasn't me being in love with you or anything like that, but you were and still are my best friend next to Rory and Sookie, and I knew that you didn't think that it was the wisest idea in the entire world when I was going to marry Max."

"That might not have been a friend thing as much as an I was in love with you thing on my part, just for the record."

"Totally beside the point! But I realized that there is one MAJOR thing that is there this time and it wasn't there with Max. I love you Luke, and I don't think that I have ever really loved someone like I love you, and when I think about what the two of us have and what we could have in the future, I don't freak out, I… I grin like an idiot, and I want that to start now!" she said in a huff, dropping his hands finally and meeting his gaze with a pleading stare.

"What do we do Saturday?"

"Do it all over again, but know that we really had our own little ceremony."

"You realize that nobody can know about this part but us, right? The town would kill us."

"I know… so…."

"Let's go."

Jumping up and down, Lorelai dragged Luke back to Rory's waiting car and sat with him in the back seat.

Without too much convincing, they were able to convince Sookie to come as another witness as well. Swearing her to secrecy was a feat on the way to the court though.

"What am I going to say when Jackson asks me where I went?"

"Tell him that you went out with me."

"Yeah, but what if he says where?"

"Then tell him you went with me to Hartford."

"But what if he asks me why?"

"Then you tell him it's stuff for me getting married, which it is, so you won't be lying."

"But what if he wants to know what stuff?"

"SOOKIE! Has Jackson ever asked you that many questions about your whereabouts when he knows that you were with me?"

"Well… no…"

"All right then… stop worrying about it then!"

After a few moments of silence in the car, Sookie is starting to get a scared look on her face and she finally catches Rory's eye.

"Sookie, what? Mom told you that you'd be fine, Jackson doesn't ask that many questions!"

"But there is always a first time for everything, and then he's going to ask me something and I'm not going to be prepared, and you know me… I… I crack under pressure… paper bags! Remember I freak out, and then I hit people with frying pans cause I get excited and then I end up in the hospital, cause I'm not thinking and I run into something or I slip on something, and then in the end when I'm in the hospital doped up on painkillers I'm going to let it out, and then you'll hate me for the rest of our lives, and I don't know what I'll do with my self."

"Oh Jeez!" Luke says from the driver's seat, not completely used to Sookie's major freak outs.

"See, and now your future husband is going to hate me too and I'm never going to see you again, and…. I shouldn't be going with you!"

Turning around in her seat in the front, Lorelai grabs Sookie's arm to reassure her. "Sookie, I want you there! The three of you are my best friends, and I can't think of anyone else I would rather have here with me today. Hold it together! You'll be fine and Jackson won't suspect anything, and if he starts asking questions, tell him that Martha said her first word or something like that to distract him… he won't think anything of it."

"Okay…" she says, finally relaxing and trying to keep her breathing down to normal.

The drive went by more quickly than their normal trips to Hartford. Perhaps the excitement of the day made it go more quickly than the times that they were dreading to go to Friday night dinners.

Standing outside the office of the judge that was going to marry them, they stopped and turned towards each other a final time.

"Luke, if you really want to wait until Saturday to make it official, we can."

"Lorelai, if I would have had it my way, I would have married you years ago, so any sooner is perfectly fine with me."

"I love you Luke, you know that."

"Yes, I do, or this thing that we're about to do would be seriously inappropriate."

At that, they heard a loud sniffling noise off to the side, and turned to see Sookie wiping her eyes frantically with a tissue.

"Sookie?"

"It's just… you two are so perfect for each other, and it's just… it's so great!" she says with another set of sobs.

"Remind me why you brought her?"

"Because she's my other best friend, and I wanted to have Mia come too, but if my mother ever does find out, which she has a knack for doing, she would hold it over my head until my funeral, and I didn't want my parents to come because they would have judged the whole thing, and…. well… that's why… she might cry about everything, but she's still Sookie and I love her."

Again, sobs rang through the hallway at the compliments.

"Sookie, can you hold yourself together long enough for us to get hitched?" Lorelai says, as she crouches down in front of Sookie.

"Lorelai…you're sure that you want to do this now?"

"Sookie, look at me…look at my eyes."

Sookie takes a moment to look at Lorelai, staring at her in search of answers that can only come from the eyes. After a few moments, she starts to smile.

"What?"

"I just can't believe that after all of these years, the two of you finally figured it out, and I can't believe that you are finally getting what you deserve…as schmoopy and corny as this is going to sound, Lorelai, I'm glad that you've finally found it."

"I have… and thank you."

After watching the exchange, Luke steps beside Lorelai, looking down at her with a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He reaches out a hand to help her up from her crouching position. "Come on, they're waiting for us in there."

Standing up, and grabbing Luke's arm, she quickly glances at Rory, who wears quite a grin on her face.

She stops Luke with a hand to his shoulder. "Can I have a minute with Rory, and then I'm as good as yours?"

"Promise?"

"Forever…my friend… forever…so if you were going to leave me at the alter, this is your cue to magically decide to go to the bathroom and slip out the window or pay the judge to fake a heart attack so we won't go through with it."

"Well, it's a good thing that I've got a couple bucks in my pocket, cause I'm having second thoughts now…" he says with a smile as he leans in to give her a quick peck on the cheek.

She turns around to meet the eyes of her daughter, and puts a hand out for her to grab onto as she pulls her to sit down on a bench in the hallway.

"So… what do you think, can we deal with a boy in the house once and for all?"

"Well, you did get rid of the 'no boys allowed' sign that we had, so maybe we've gotten to that point." Rory says, as she lays her head on her mother's shoulder.

"And Luke…you know…don't you?"

"You mean do I know that he loves you, that he would die for you, and that he plans to cherish you for the rest of your life? Yeah… I know that."

"No… not that."

"Then what?"

"That he loves _you_, that he would die for _you_, and he plans on cherishing you as a daughter for the rest of his life?"

"yeah, I knew that." she says, just above a whisper before they bask in a few moments of silence. "Mom?"

"I'm glad that you finally found it too, and I'm glad that it was with Luke, cause I love him too."

"Well, that my darling daughter is all that I needed to hear." she says as she turns to face Rory, putting her hands on her shoulders. "And now… I can go marry that beautiful man in there."

"You mean that you would have called it off if I didn't like the idea?"

"Rory… you have always been and will continue to be my number one priority as long as I walk this earth, and what you say means more to me than anything else. Once I marry Luke, that isn't going to change… I mean… there will be one more opinion in the mix, but you are still number one on my list, okay?"

"I know that mom, you have always made that clear to me."

After a few minutes of mother-daughter bonding with a hug, Rory finally separates from her mother.

"Someone's waiting in there for you, and I don't think that you should keep him waiting any longer."

"Well, then let's go get me married already!" she says starting to walk to the door.

"Okay, but I hope that Luke didn't get bored and make a run for it while he was waiting."

"Rory!" she says chastising her daughter for the comment, but quickening her pace to the door just in case.

She opens it to see her Luke sitting in front of the judges desk, with Sookie off to the side. At this she smiles and walks up to stand next to him.

"You didn't leave me."

"I never could Lorelai, you'd always find me."

"Not in some creepy, stalkery kind of way though…"

"No, just because someone somewhere has always wanted us to be together…at least that's what I'm thinking."

"Good thoughts."

Wanting to get on with things, the judge clears his throat to get their attention. "Are you two ready?"

With one glance to each other, they both nod, and the judge begins the small court ceremony.

_Okay, I know that all of you kind of want to kill me right now… but LONG before the Vineyard eppy I thought about the whole Luke/Lorelai eloping thing… just ask my friends. So, I had this idea to have them go all out with this. They're gonna pull a Mad About You thing though and just go through the wedding on Saturday. Now… who should find out first that they got married? Emily? Richard? Mia? We shall see… and how long until baby Danes enters the picture? All this and more is going through my head right now. Read and Review to motivate me! Hehe!_


	13. It's No Secret Anymore

A few hours later…

"Okay, I'm gonna go pal around with Lane and the guys… I probably won't be back tonight… if you catch my drift."

"Rory!" Lorelai let out in a squeal.

"Well, you and my lovely new stepfather need to get acquainted, so I figured that now would be an okay time!"

"Bye hon!" Lorelai screams at her daughter as she is walking out the door.

She turns back to Luke, who has been standing beside her the entire time.

"So…"

"yeah…"

"What do we do now?"

"I don't know, I've never been married before."

"Wow."

"I know. Is it weird to you, cause it seems weird to me."

"That we're married?"

"Well, yeah, I mean no. I don't know exactly how to describe it."

"No, I get it."

"I mean, Luke, you and I walked around each other for years! Did you ever think that it could get to this?"

"Well, I may have wanted it to, but I never actually thought it could happen."

"See…weird."

"All right, so, now that we've established the fact that us being married is weird… I think that we should focus our attentions on other things."

"Mr. Danes, what could you possibly have in mind?" she asks in a shocked voice, with a glimmer in her eye.

With that, he took her in his arms and kissed her. The rest of the evening of course… is history.

The next morning began like any other, waking up to the annoying sound of an alarm coming from Luke's side of the bed. Of course, in Lorelai fashion, the hitting began… seeming to always miss the alarm clock.

"Lorelai! Come on. You have to know that it's not the alarm clock that you're hitting!" he half-yelled in a playful tone.

"Yes, but it gets you all riled up in the morning, and I like reaping the benefits of that."

"You do realize that now that we're married I could have you arrested for spousal abuse."

"You would do that to your blushing bride of not even a day? Maybe I didn't marry the man I thought I did!"

"haha haha… very funny." he says, sitting up in bed, starting to get out.

"Where are you going?"

"Where do you think I'm going? To get you coffee."

"I don't feel like coffee right now, come back to bed."

A stunned Luke and an equally stunned Lorelai stared at each other in confusion.

"I don't want coffee?" she says, the words still foreign on her tongue, even in the form of a question.

"That's what you said. Are you okay?"

"yeah…huh… maybe your influence has finally gotten the best of me!"

After a morning of rounds in the bed, Luke finally got up and went to work in the diner, promising Lorelai a late lunch if she came by later. Lorelai, still not craving coffee called her daughter to get her to come home for last minute wedding details.

"_Hey mom."_

"You were so sure it was me! Our psychic powers have reached wonderful capabilities."

"_Or I looked at the Caller ID before I picked up the phone and saw 'Mom's Cell' glaring back at me"_

"Well, the other way was cooler. When are you coming home?"

"_Well, funny you should ask that."_ she says back to her mother as Lorelai hears the front door open and close.

"I'm upstairs"

"_I figured as much"_ she says before shutting her cell and marching up the stairs.

"Still in bed huh?"

"Yeah, Luke left like an hour ago to help at the dinner."

"You realized you married the perfect man, don't you? You can get Luke's breakfast and Luke's coffee every morning without having to even leave the bed."

"Yeah…" she replies trailing her thoughts.

"What?"

"It was just funny cause this morning, Luke went to get out of bed to get me coffee and I told him that I didn't feel like it."

"Like coffee? Has he really worn off on you THAT much?"

"Well, like I said… funny… and…." she trails off again, her eyes going wide.

"Mom… what are you…." Rory picks up on what Lorelai is thinking and her eyes go just as wide. "really?"

"I don't know… maybe."

"Like how sure maybe?"

"I don't know. I haven't really been caring so much about that kind of stuff cause it's so close to the wedding and we were planning on the whole… you know… thing after the honeymoon anyway."

"Are you going to try to find out?"

"I don't know."

"Well, you should."

"Yeah, that'd be a hell of a wedding present… guess what Luke? I'm pregnant!"

"I'm sure that he won't mind."

Just as they're finishing their conversation the phone rings, and Lorelai reaches over the bed to retrieve it.

"Hello?"

"_Lorelai, it's your mother. I was wondering if you could come by the house today to talk about more wedding stuff. Maybe you could come around 5ish?"_

"What else is there to plan mom, I thought that we had everything under control."

"_Well, I figured that there were a few loose ends to tie up before the big day."_

"Okay, then I'll be there around 5."

She hung up the phone and looked at her daughter. "Want to go with me to Grandma's to finalize wedding plans?"

"What is there to finalize?"

"I don't know, she said there were some loose ends."

"Yeah, I'll go with you, but can we grab food first?"

"We most certainly can! In fact I insist on it so I can see that unbearably handsome husband of mine."

"Remember that you can't broadcast that fact yet mom, we can't let the town know of your little clandestine wedding."

"Yeah, Yeah, I know." Getting out of bed and pushing Rory out of the room, Lorelai proceeds to change for the day, taking off her newly adorned wedding ring and putting it on her necklace, where she and Luke decided that the rings would stay until Saturday after their Wednesday trip to the court ceremony.

On the drive to Hartford, Rory convinced Lorelai to pull into a drug store and buy a pregnancy test to take tonight before Luke got home. Since she knew that buying it in Stars Hallow wasn't an option, she figured that Rory was right with the decision to check one out in Hartford.

After pulling up to the Gilmore mansion, the girls proceed up the drive to the front door, ringing the bell just as Emily opens up the door.

"Hey mom!"

"Hey Grandma."

"Oh…Rory, what are you doing here?" she said, seeming surprised and almost disappointed at the same time.

Exchanging a glance with Rory, Lorelai jumped in. "Rory wasn't really doing anything, so I told her that she should come with me, and we figured that we could do a little Hartford shopping on the way home"

"Well, isn't that nice."

While they were having this small conversation they made their way into the foyer, where someone was waiting to make his presence known.

"Lor…"

Turning, she saw the one and only, Christopher Hayden. She hadn't spoken to him since the incident at the vow renewal, and had firmly decided that she wouldn't speak to him again.

After giving him a glare she turned to meet the eyes of her mother, who was trying to look as innocent as she could.

"What the hell are you thinking?"

"Lor, this wasn't all her, I saw you a while back at the mall and I followed you back to Stars Hallow, and I saw that you were with Luke, and I thought that I could drop it, but I couldn't."

"Chris, I don't even know what to say to you!" she says, yelling at him.

"Tell me that you love me. That's all that you need to say. You can tell me that, and then we can forget about Luke and you and I can finally get what we've wanted all along! I don't like how things have turned out… I don't want them to be this way!"

"Christopher, I'm MARRIED! That's not something that can so easily be looked over."

From her spot, almost hidden in the corner, Rory gasped at her mother's slip, and then hoped that no one noticed it. She hoped that her mother's small confession could be mistaken as a Freudian slip for the upcoming weekend or that they thought that she meant getting married and forgot the getting part.

"Not yet, there's still time!"

But, of course, the amazing powers of Emily Gilmore reign just as before. Lorelai had gone very still after her last comment, and Rory's gasp did not go unnoticed.

"Lorelai, look at me." Emily said in a stern voice.

Refusing to even move an inch, Emily became even more frustrated with her.

"Lorelai Gilmore! You…"

"Danes." With that, the secret was out. There was a long silence as Emily stared at Lorelai with a glazed over look and her mouth wide.

"When?"

"Yesterday."

"What were you thinking!"

Finally she turned to face her mother. "I was thinking that I couldn't wait until Saturday to marry him, so I got him, Rory, and Sookie, and we went to a judge out here and got married. But we knew that people like you and people in the town would be upset if we didn't have the big hoohah wedding, so we didn't tell anybody about it. I wanted my middle to start as soon as possible."

"Lorelai…"

"Mom… I really don't get it. I thought that we were doing good. You seemed to really start liking Luke… you even said so. You said that you realized that Chris could never give me what Luke did. When did all that change?"

"I called her. I told her that I wanted to talk to you. I know that you're still mad about what happened at the renewal, but I wanted to get another chance after I saw you."

"Saw… stalked… however you choose to look at it. Chris… you're chances are up, you're done." she says, not even being able to look at him, but still staring straight into the eyes of her mother. After her last words to him, he walked out, hopefully leaving for good.

"Lorelai…"

"No…he said that he called you and he tried to set this up so that you wouldn't get all the blame for it, but you still let him do it. You acted disappointed that Rory showed up with me so you and Christopher couldn't have me to yourselves. Don't think that I didn't notice that. I guess some things never change." she says, turning to leave. She pauses at the door. "Dad is more than welcome to come, but I don't want you there on Saturday. Not after this."

As she walks out, Emily turns to Rory, who had remained silent during the entire exchange. "Rory." That was all she got out before Rory turned to do the same thing as her mother.

After a quiet ride back to Stars Hallow, Lorelai got out of the Jeep to find Luke sitting on the porch seeming to be enjoying the summer air.

"Hey, I didn't know when you were coming back, but I'm glad that you're back so soon."

Walking up to him, she looked defeated and worn out.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, mom's not coming to the wedding, I think I might put a restraining order on Christopher, and they know I'm a Danes."

"Oh, so nothing major…." he says sarcastically as Lorelai turns into him and starts to cry.

_I know that it's horribly cliché to add Chris into the mix and have Emily and Lorelai fighting again, but come on… it's fun drama! I think that Chris will be gone for good now… let me know what you think so far…I'll update it soon with the happy cute wedding! Reviews are cool, I like hearing what you have to say, so do it!_


	14. The Gift of Independence

"So, what do we do?"

"Well, we don't do anything. Your mom has to come to her senses about things."

"But Christopher…"

"Is Rory's dad, and we can't help that. You can figure that out on your own."

"I don't want to see him again…not after this…not after the last time he pulled this crap either…"

Luke just stood there, knowing that she needed to process out loud, but she wasn't really talking to him anymore.

"And she let him come…and when she realized that Rory was there, she was disappointed, as if she thought that if I was alone, I would have dumped you and run off with Christopher…Where in her head did she think that was going to be okay?"

"What about Rory, is she okay?"

Lorelai looks up to see his concerned features peering back at him, showing his love for who is essentially his daughter, no step needed.

"She was angry… she won't talk to me about it…she's mad at both of them, so we'll just have to see how long she freezes them out."

"And how did they…?" he says with a mumble, leaning closer into her from across the counter.

"Well, I screamed that I was married and that it wasn't something that you could overlook, and Rory kind of made a noise, which tipped mom off…Then, when she yelled at me, she yelled Lorelai Gilmore, and I corrected her, and said Danes. Ladies and gentleman, viola, my mother now knows."

"hmph" he shrugs as he's wiping off the counter in front of her.

"It felt good…"

"What did?"

"Correcting her like that."

With this he smiles at her for a long moment. He is jarred from their moment when the bells ring and he sees Mia walk into the diner.

"Mia!"

"Why, Lucas, Lorelai, the two of you seem to never be apart."

"We do give that illusion, don't we?" she says, turning the question to Luke.

"We must."

"Well, I've got some paperwork that I'm going to do over in the corner, so bring me a hamburger with some fries when you get a chance Lucas, and I will talk to the two of you later."

"Sounds good Mia, I'll put it in right now."

As Lorelai picks at the pie in front of her, Luke takes in her slumped frame and sad eyes.

"What's wrong?"

Turning to look at Mia, she points to the corner, and then averts her eyes back to her plate.

"Mia?"

"Yes…Mia…"

"Lorelai, Mia is one of your favorite people in the world, what's wrong?"

"I know that she is… I just wish that she could have been Emily…you know? Why couldn't I have a mother that cared about me, and was excited about my accomplishments the way Mia is? It doesn't seem fair."

Putting his hand over hers he shoots down her logic, "Lorelai, if you had it easy, you wouldn't be where you are today. You worked through a lot and you helped Rory through a lot, and though it seems like it would have been great to have your actual mother be a support for you, it probably wouldn't have turned out the same."

"I suppose you're right."

"And…I'm pretty sure that you wouldn't change how things have turned out thus far."

"Well.. to be honest, this would have been cherry pie and not peach." she says, looking up with a glimmer in her eye.

He leans over the counter and kisses her chastely on the lips.

"I love you Luke Danes"

With another smile, they meet over the counter again, lost in each other, until someone clears their throat behind them and they jump apart guiltily.

"Mia."

"Lorelai, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure Mia"

Mia pulls her outside the diner as Lorelai looks on with a confused expression plastered on her face.

"What's up Mia?" she asks, after they finally stop around the corner.

Not answering her, she pulls her into a fierce hug, "I'm so happy for you!"

"Mia?"

"So… how does it feel to be Mrs. Danes?" she says very nonchalantly.

"How?" Lorelai starts to say, while looking at her hand to make sure the ring wasn't there, then feeling to make sure the necklace was hidden underneath her shirt.

"Lorelai, I helped you as if you were my own, and I know you. The way you looked at him in that diner solidified what I thought was going to happen."

"What you thought was going to happen?"

"Lorelai, as I said, I know you… and I know how impatient you can be with the things that you really want. It's why you and Rory were able to move into that house of yours a few months before you were supposed to be able to."

"Yeah, well, I did push him just a little bit…I may have been a tad bit impatient."

"Yes, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing."

As Mia says this, Lorelai's eyes start to water, not unnoticed by the woman standing across from her.

"Lorelai, what's wrong?"

"I just wish that you could have been there. Rory was there and Sookie was there, and well, Luke kind of had to be there, but I wanted you there. I didn't want mom to find out though and figured that if or when she did that if you had been there she would have hated me for life."

"I am so happy for the two of you that I could care less about that, and your mother could never hate you."

"Well, if you would have seen her face when she found out that Luke and I got married, then I think that you would beg to differ."

"It didn't go so well?"

"Well, she let Christopher try to plead his case for getting me back again, which wasn't too successful, because it lead to my little slip that we were married. She won't be at the wedding and I don't want her to be there…not after that stunt that she pulled" she says, picking her ringing cell phone out of her purse.

"Hello?"

"_Lorelai?"_

"Dad?"

"_Is it true? Did you and Luke elope?"_

"Dad, I already got an earful from mom, I don't need you criticizing me as well"

"_I'm not…I just… your mother said that you were still planning on having the big wedding this weekend for everyone's benefit, and if you don't mind, I would like to still attend and do my duty."_

"You still want to come to the wedding?"

"_Lorelai, it isn't every day that a father gets to give away his only daughter to the man that she loves. I know what your mother did, but you need to know that it really wasn't her fault. Christopher kept calling and calling, and we told him that you were getting married and that we gave the wedding our blessing. He didn't want to give up."_

"Well… if mom had no hope of me and Christopher, then why the disappointed look on her face when Rory walked through the door by my side?"

"_She didn't want Rory to have to see you father pull another one of his stunts. She knew that you would always choose Luke, but she still wanted Rory to at least respect her father."_

"Luke is her father as far as I'm concerned. He has earned that title much more than Christopher ever would be able to."

"_I know that I have been a pain in regards to this man, but I am fully aware of the situation, and don't plan on changing it in any way."_

"Thank you dad. And… I wouldn't stand to have you not come on Saturday…even if it's just for show."

"_And your mother?"_

"That's your call."

"_Well…I'll see you on Saturday Lorelai…"_

"Bye dad."

As she shuts her cell, she pauses to take in the whole conversation for a moment. When Mia clears her throat, her attention is drawn upwards and she meets the kind face of the woman who practically raised her.

"He wants to give me away on Saturday."

"Well… that is the father's privilege."

"I know, but I never imagined that it was that important to him."

"Lorelai, it's your father. As much as you don't want to believe it, your father and mother think the world of you."

"Yeah…I do know that, even if it's hard to believe sometimes."

"So, you're still doing the big wedding on Saturday?"

"Yeah, but we don't want the town to know that we eloped, so no slipping it to Miss Patty when you get toasted at the reception, okay?"

Mia laughs, putting an arm around Lorelai, and pulling her back into the diner. When they get in the diner, Luke and Lorelai exchange looks, his eyes questioning what went on outside. Knowing the question, Lorelai nods, and Luke smiles, glad to know that Mia knows their little secret.

Walking up to the counter, she freezes, a funny feeling filtering through her stomach, and then disappointment.

"What's wrong?"

"I want coffee."

"Okay? I can get you coffee, you know you are the heiress of the place that supplies you with your coffee now."

"Yeah, I know." She smiles, taking in everything, realizing that her whole package will get there soon, she just has to wait a little longer.

After a few minutes of Luke attending to customers, the last patrons left, except for Mia, who was still in the corner working silently while eating her hamburger.

"My dad wants to walk me down the aisle."

"I think that any father would."

"But my dad, Luke, come on."

"Lorelai, as much as you want to think that your parents think you to be the spawn of Satan, you need to know that they will always love you, no matter what happens."

"Luke… I wish that I could have met your parents."

"I wish that they could have met you."

"They would have loved you, Lorelai." Mia says, coming up behind Lorelai, with her wallet in hand, ready to pay Luke for her meal.

Lorelai smiles, and Mia tries to hand Luke his money.

"Oh, sorry Mia, I already closed up, I guess that I can't take your money..."

"Lucas, what are we going to do with you?"

Lorelai gets a glint in her eye as she looks to Luke, smiling.

"Lorelai, that was not meant to be dirty."

"I know, I just can't help it! All this honeymooning we've been doing the past… well day… it's clouding my brain." She says as Luke starts to blush.

"Well, then I think that I'll leave you to alone now. Lorelai, I will see you tomorrow for lunch?"

"You sure will Mia, I'm looking forward to it."

As she walks out, Luke continues to clean up the diner from the day's last rush.

"You guys are having lunch tomorrow?"

"Yeah, she said that she had something that she wanted to talk to me about."

"What?"

"I don't know Mr. impatient, I have to go tomorrow and find out."

He stands there for a moment, staring into space. Not knowing what he was thinking, Lorelai stayed silent, waiting for him to speak.

"Can I run something by you?"

"Shoot."

"Do you think that it would be okay to as Buddy and Maise to kind of be my stand-ins?"

"Your stand-ins?"

"Yeah, for mom and dad."

"Luke… I think that they would love it, and it would very much honor your parents."

"Do you think they'll go for it?"

"If I ask, they'll totally go for it… they love me!"

"Very true, you are their favorite."

She smiles, and waits for him to do his closing duties, and then the two of them walk home together after their long days.

THE NEXT DAY AT THE DRAGONFLY

Walking up to the front desk, Mia hears the tail end of Lorelai's telephone conversation.

"Obviously you've never had any responsibility in your life before, because if you did, then this would have been done correctly… you'll come back… you'll fix it… you will charge me nothing… you will apologize to me, and even if he swore at you in French, you will also apologize to my concierge, who has had to deal with this all day long. Got it?… I'll take the deafening silence on your end to mean that I will see you in no less than an hour."

Seeming satisfied with the person's answer, she pushes the end button on the phone with a little more force than necessary, and puts it back on its cradle.

"Is that how you ran the Independence Inn? Because if it is, it's no wonder why I never had any problems." Mia asks, making her presence known.

"Sorry, Mia, this company that we hired to do some work in a few of the bathrooms really did a bad job, and not even a week later the problems are back, so they need to come and fix it."

Smiling at the wonderful inn keeper in front of her, Mia is amazed at the woman that Lorelai became.

"With that behind me, can we sit down for our lunch?"

"Yes, we can." Mia says cheerfully, as Lorelai sticks out an arm for her to be escorted into the dining room.

After their meal and Sookie's… well… Sookieness at explaining everything that has gone on in her life in the past decade, Mia asked Lorelai if they could take a walk.

"I would love to," she says, and as she passed the front desk, she shouted at Michel, "That guy will be here soon to fix the bathrooms. If he doesn't try to apologize to you before he is done, you have my permission to do everything in your powers to annoy him. Mia and I are going for a walk."

"I'll see that it gets done." He says with a glimmer in his eye… happy that he gets the challenge of annoying someone other than Lorelai for a change.

Starting out on their walk, Mia was unusually quiet.

"Mia, what's up?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. I can't put my finger on it, but I think that you're trying to tell me something here."

"Well, hopefully it will be something exciting, but I don't know if you will accept it."

"Accept what?"

"Did you know that I still own the old Independence Inn?"

"No, I thought that your son said you were selling it."

"I considered it, and then thought it a bad move. I know that if I ever came back and saw it turned into some chain hotel, I would be heartbroken, so I couldn't do it."

"Oh, I never knew that. I had always wondered though, when Rory and I would drive up there why nothing had been done to the place."

"I couldn't bring myself to tear it down, but I couldn't bring myself to change it either."

"So, why are you telling me about this?"

"Well, I've finally decided what I'm going to do with it."

"And?"

"Well, you may not think that Stars Hallow is such a desirable location, but the land is actually worth a lot. The Independence Inn sits on a lot that could have numerous houses on it, so I'm dividing up the land how I see fit, and finally tearing down the building."

"Oh." Lorelai replies, trying to hide her disappointment at this recent development.

"Now, I'm assuming that the potting shed is something that you would like to remain standing, correct?"

"Well, I don't really have a place for it in my yard Mia, and I don't think you can move a potting shed."

"I'm not suggesting that you move it Lorelai."

Trying to figure out just what Mia was getting at, her brow crinkles in confusion. "What are you suggesting?"

"You have always been like a daughter to me Lorelai, and I've racked my brain to come up with a wedding present for you and Lucas, when it occurred to me…while I know that you love your house, I also know that you and Lucas want to start a family of your own, aside from Rory, so you're going to need a bigger place."

"How…?"

"Your eyes have always given you away love. I can see it when you look at each other."

She smiles, thinking about how wonderful it was to finally have someone to share those meaningful looks with. To hear someone else talk about it, while a bit embarrassing because she feels caught, was refreshing, because it wasn't just them, but others that could see their bond.

"Now… I've split the land up into four sections. You and Lucas have the property that the old Inn is on, potting shed included."

"Mia…" she says, starting to say that the gift was already too much.

"No, I'm not finished. With the money that I got from selling the other two pieces of land, you have enough to build whatever kind of home you want. A new place to start your lives together."

"Mia, we can't possibly accept this. This is too much to accept." She says while processing the gift in her head.

"Lorelai, I don't want anyone else to have the Independence. I know that it will get torn down, but the spirit is there, and the memories…. Some of my favorite and your favorite. I couldn't just give that to anyone."

As her eyes watered at the memories flooding back to her, she realized something wrong with this picture.

"Wait… who has the fourth piece?"

"Me."

"Are you moving back?"

"Well, not officially, but I figured that Stars Hallow would be a great vacation spot. Besides… how else am I going to get to visit this little growing family of yours?"

She smiles at the though, and then wonders about the rest of the lot, "What about the other two pieces?"

"One of them went to Sookie's husband, Jackson, who is going to build another greenhouse on it, and the other piece went to Ms. Patty, who is looking to create an expanded studio with a massage parlor."

At this suggestion, Lorelai raised her eyebrows, "I have two things to say about this. One, When Ms. Patty said that she was going to have a massage parlor, did she have that weird gleam in her eye?"

"The one that insinuates something horribly sinful?"

"That's the one!"

"Yes, she did, but she promised me that she would be good, so I thought it would be okay."

"And two, Jackson and Sookie knew about this!"

"Jackson did, but he swore that he wouldn't tell Sookie, because he knew that you would be the first one that she told… even if she was told that it was a secret."

"Wise man…" she says, allowing her thoughts to drift back for a few moments, to the gift being presented to her. "So, you want to build me and Luke a house where the old Independence Inn was just so I can keep my potting shed?"

"Essentially, yes."

"Mia…I'm going to have to talk to Luke about this, because this is pretty big. It's huge, and I don't know if we can accept a gift like this."

"You two deserve this. This whole town has seen you walk eggshells around each other for years. To finally see both of you happy, and in love… with each other none the less, is enough to make anyone regain hope in all things. I won't take no for an answer."

"Will you negotiate on how much of the house we can pay for?"

"Possibly, but I will at least be paying half for whatever you do."

"I don't know what to say, Mia. I…thank you. Whatever we end up doing, thank you for this."

"I love you Lorelai, and I'm sure that I always will. I've always wanted to see you happy, and I'm glad that I finally get to."

Lorelai puts her arms around Mia, and the two women share a long moment together. "You know that I've always seen you as a mother, and I love you too." She says as a whisper into Mia's ear.

As the two separate, both are smiling widely. Finally, linking arms like the oldest of friends they begin the trek back to the Dragonfly.

_Okay, so I wanted to put more Mia in this one as you can see. I don't know if I like it or not. It's kind of just a filler chapter anyways for before the wedding. I think that I'm going to skip to the night before the wedding so we can get that show on the road. Sorry about how long it took to update, and due to suggestions from fabulous reviewers and other people, I've decided to hold off on the pregnant Lorelai… I don't know how long I can do it, but hey, they can have some fun trying in the meantime. Let me know what you think! Oh, and P.S. any fans should check out the Gilmore Girls Podcast, cause it is pretty freaking awesome! R/R Please!_


	15. Something Old

"Mom! You have to get up already."

"Child of mine… why are you waking me up early on a Saturday!"

"Because you're getting married today!"

"See, this is why you should have talked me out of eloping with Luke during the week, because now that I know that he's legally mine, I have no desire to actually wake up this freaking early on a Saturday to make myself look presentable!" she says, with her face in the pillow.

"Well, isn't someone a crankerbutt this morning."

"Stupid Miss Patty, I blame this all on her."

"Why?"

"Because she's the one who said that Luke wasn't allowed to sleep here last night, and I've had him here with me for awhile now, and I like my human blanket, but he wasn't here last night, and I couldn't sleep…and…just go next door and tell Babette that Luke and I are already married."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Because I said so."

"Ugh! Rory." She says, finally sitting up in bed, her hair flying everywhere, rubbing her eyes. "You are not the mom, you do not get to pull the because I said so card to get me out of bed!"

"It got you to sit up though, now didn't it?"

"Is there coffee downstairs, ready and waiting for me? Because if there isn't, I can guarantee you that when Luke and I have a kid, it will be an only child."

"Guess you'll just have to get up and see." Rory says in a sing-song voice, skipping out of the room.

"Oh my gosh, she did not get those annoyance genes from me." She mutters to herself, while scooting to the edge of the bed.

Hearing her mother's muttered comment, Rory peeks her head back around the corner. "Actually, this isn't genetic. Annoyance is a learned behavior that I could only get from an accurate model."

"Damn that Ivy League education!" she says, hitting the mattress on her way out of bed.

"Come on, you have to be excited cause you're getting married today!"

"Yeah yeah…I know… white dress…lots of people…Luke…honeymoon….ooh… I forgot about the honeymoon, I'm liking that idea."

"See, but the honeymoon only comes after the wedding though."

"Okay, I'm up, you see, I'm heading down the stairs in search of coffee."

As the morning comes to an end and the time is quickly approaching, the girls make their way to the Dragonfly to get ready.

After putting their bridesmaid dresses on, Sookie and Rory help Lorelai into her gown, pausing a moment afterward to stare at how beautiful she is.

Lorelai looks into the mirror in front of her, amazed that she has finally come to this day. _Even though we're already there, I never thought that I would get this. I never even imagined that it was going to be with Luke._

"You know, I'm glad that Luke hasn't gotten to see me in this, and I am glad that we're still doing this today."

Sookie starts to tear up, wiping the tears away with a shaky hand.

"Sookie…"

"I know, but I'm just so glad that you finally got it." She says, allowing her breath to catch and her tears to continue.

Turning to Rory, Lorelai wears a confused expression on her face, "Did I imagine it, or did we not already have this conversation with her once before?"

"I'm sorry, it just seems more real now though, and I just…I'm so happy for you and Luke and just… everything."

"Sookie, you do remember that mom and Luke are already married."

"I know… I know…"

"Hon, it's like beating a dishrag…"

"Beating a dead horse…"

"Eeew! No! I changed it, because I didn't want to hurt Cletus and Desdemona's feelings. That's a horrible phrase."

"But beating a dishrag doesn't have the same effect."

"Yes it does, because nothing happens when you do either of them…"

"But mom, I—" Rory starts and is interrupted by a knocking at the door.

"Luke, if that's you, you know that you are not allowed to see me before the walk down the aisle my friend!" Lorelai screams toward the door.

"Lorelai, it's Maisy… can I have a word?" comes the familiar voice from the other side of the door.

Rory goes to the door, and taking Sookie with her, tells her mother that she'll be back in a bit, and she'll check to make sure everything is okay downstairs.

"Well, you certainly are a vision Lorelai!" Maisy says, approaching the younger woman for a hug.

"Thank you, Maisy. I'm glad that you and Buddy could make it."

"We wouldn't miss this for the world."

"You know, you and Buddy mean a lot to Luke, and by association me."

"Well, we've always seen him like a son, you know that."

She nods, finding herself shy in front of a woman who is the closest thing to an in-law that she'll ever have.

"Lorelai, I think that you know that Lucas asked us to be here as kind of 'stand-ins' for his parents, and I don't think that anything could have made me happier." She pauses for a moment as Lorelai's eyes finally look up to meet her. "If you're wondering, which I know is what is going through your head right now, they would have loved you. You remind me of his mother, so sweet and social, caring and bubbly. And his father would have appreciated your stubbornness and your confidence. I have no doubt in my mind that those two are staring down on this day with the happiest of looks on their faces."

The tears flow down Lorelai's cheeks as she takes in the words. She always wondered about Luke's parents and what they would have thought, but didn't let herself dwell on it. Imagine her surprise when she found the relief in knowing that they would have approved of her marrying their son.

"Now, before I go, I wanted to give you something. I know that it's not extravagant, but I have always thought it was beautiful." She says, holding out a bracelet to put on Lorelai's wrist. "I want you to wear this and keep it as your something old. It was his mother's, and she wore it to nearly every special occasion that I can remember, which means that it's right to be worn today."

"It's beautiful, and I do love it." She reaches out to hug Maisy again. "Thank you so much Maisy, you have no idea what this means to me."

"I think I might…now, I'm going to head downstairs and wait for the show to start. We love you Lorelai."

As she watches Maisy leave, she notices a familiar retreating form in the doorway trying to follow behind the one who just left.

"Mom!" she shouts after her.

"Lorelai…I… I didn't know if you wanted me here, but I –"

"I did."

"Oh. Well, I'm so glad that I came."

"I don't blame you mom, I'm done with that, and I'm sorry for the things that I said."

"I'm sorry too." She says, stepping towards her daughter. As she does, she picks up the arm with the bracelet on it. "This is a beautiful bracelet."

"It was Luke's mother's."

"I heard…who was it that just left?" she says with a genuine interest.

"That was Maisy. Her and her husband Buddy were friends with Luke's family for years. They're like second parents to Luke, so we're having them be his 'stand-ins' as he calls it."

"It was nice of her to come up here."

"It was…As funny as it is, I never really realized how much I wanted to know if Luke's parents would have approved of us until she told me that they would have loved me. I wish that I could have had that opportunity."

"Well, it might not be the same, but it seems like you'll get that chance with those two."

"Yer right." Lorelai says in a dreamy voice, clearly distracted by the image of herself in a wedding dress.

Emily watches her daughter taking in her appearance. She sees the dreamy look in her eyes, and notices the way her mouth turns upward slightly at the corners.

After a few moments of silence, she breaks it, "Are you nervous?"

"I know that I shouldn't be, but I am… it's weird….I mean, I already have him."

"Well, it wouldn't be a real wedding without the bride freaking out a little bit."

"Yeah, well, I'm sure it will all turn out well in the end."

"And after this, you can spend a bit getting relaxed, and then be able to start your life together…and it will be a beautiful life, Lorelai. You may not believe that I think so, but I know it will be beautiful."

"We're getting a new house built…Where the old Independence Inn is…Mia gave Luke and I the land for a wedding gift, and we're going to build a new place."

"Why move away?"

"We…wanted more room…" she says, dipping her chin to lose eye contact with her mother.

"So you…"

"No, not yet, but soon, hopefully. We want a family of our own, and surprisingly we both want it as soon as possible." As she looks up, the smile on her face and the love in her eyes is nearly blinding.

Emily gathers her up in an unexpected embrace, and then makes her way to the door. "Your father will be up in a minute. It's just a little bit until you have to get down there, okay."

"Thanks mom."

She stands in the doorway for a moment, contemplating her next move. Then, turning, she calls out to her daughter, "Lorelai?"

"Yes?"

"I do love you, I hope you know that."

"I do, and I always have."

With a small hint of a smile, Emily steps into the hallway, leaving Lorelai alone for a few minutes.

Rory comes up five minutes later to tell her that Richard was on his way up, and they are ready when she is downstairs.

"Thanks kid."

"Mom…this is good."

"I know it is." She says, excited to make it official for everyone to see, even if she knew already that it was.

As soon as Rory was out of the room, Richard was there in her place, knocking on the doorframe as he enters. "I've been told to come and get you."

"That's what a little bird told me too."

He puts his hand out for her to grab and in an child-like way, Lorelai allows their hands to swing as they walk the hallway. Before they get to the top of the stairs, Richard stops her, putting two hands on her shoulders to face her towards him. Without a word, he bends and places a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Thank you daddy."

"Thank you for letting me do my duty Lorelai."

Finally making it to their spots, standing at the entranceway, getting ready to step outside, Rory signals for the music to begin.

Martha and Davey are first, Davey awkwardly walking at a turtle's pace to make sure that the rings didn't fall off the pillow. Martha, new to the idea of walking, much less throwing flowers down an aisle, chose to take a seat in the middle of it and pour the petals over her head.

After her came Sookie, frantically wiping the tears from her cheeks, and finally Rory, who stopped to kiss Luke on the cheek before taking her place up front.

Then, as the guests, who were mainly composed of the entire population of Stars Hallow, rose, Lorelai made her way to the end of the aisle, at Richard's side. Marching down the center of all her friends, she couldn't take her eyes off Luke, who wasn't able to stop smiling, and after their hands were joined, and Richard took his seat, he leaned over to his bride, "You are the most beautiful thing that I've ever seen."

She smiles back at him, and the ceremony begins. As the words float through the air, you can hear the sniffs of the townsfolk, who feel they've waited an eternity for this to happen. Even Taylor let a few salty tears fall while Kirk sat next to him crying harder than Sookie. It was a good time, something to be remembered…

As they neared the end of the ceremony, and they were asked to sign he marriage certificate, Lorelai shared a look with Luke, asking silent permission to admit to everyone the truth. He nods, and takes her hand as they turn towards the crowd.

"Um…we can't do this without coming clean to all of you…" she pauses as she sees all the eyes of her friends go wide. "Luke and I aren't getting married today."

They start to go crazy, talking a mile a minute, screaming at each other that they couldn't understand.

"We aren't…" she pauses as she waits for the crowd to die down. "We aren't getting married today because we already got married."

You could hear a pin drop, and then Babette's hoarse voice breaks through the silence. "WHAT! When did you two get hitched and how did we not know about it!"

"Wednesday…we got married on Wednesday." Luke adds in.

"Wednesday! That was four days ago! How did we not notice this" Miss Patty pipes in, turning towards Babette at the end because of her disappointment in realizing that they were losing their touch.

"So you got married on the 23rd then."

"Uh, yeah, the 23rd, but what –"

"I Won!" Taylor screams, shooting up out of his seat.

"No you don't Taylor, I win, because the wedding was technically planned for today, and that's what counts." Gypsy says, clearly upset.

"That doesn't count cause they are already married, which means that the date they really got married was the 23rd, and I've had the 23rd marked for years in this pool! I win! So, pay up Gypsy!"

This causes a new predicament for the people of Stars Hallow, who had already given their money to Gypsy for winning the pool that started a few years ago for the date that Luke and Lorelai would get married. The noise is reaching comic proportions when a loud whistle is heard coming from the bride's side.

All attention is now focused on Emily Gilmore, who's prim and proper mouth just whistled to get the attention of the townspeople.

"Are you telling me that you people placed bets on the days that my daughter and her husband were going to marry?"

"Well, we knew it was going to happen eventually…I mean he's loved her for YEARS!" Babette says, knowing that she's the only one who has the voice to carry over the crowd.

"I don't know what to say to that…" she says, perplexed while sitting back down.

Finally, having the attention of everyone, Lorelai takes the opportunity to say a few things. "Now, aside from the fact that you all were placing bets on me and Luke getting married, the fact remains that I am the bride, so today's my day. And I say that getting married today or Wednesday, we are still due in for a kick ass party played out the Stars Hallow way, so let's get moving cause Sookie did the cooking, so it's bound to be good."

They file into the Inn as Luke and Lorelai stay back behind the crowd.

"Can you believe that they placed bets on us?"

"This town… yes."

"For years?"

"Apparently so."

"So, we really were a long time coming weren't we Mr. Danes."

"We sure were Mrs. Danes."

She smiles as he takes her arm and leads her to the steps to where they first kissed.

"Lorelai, promise me something?"

"Anything."

"Wear those rings and that bracelet for the rest of your life."

"You noticed?"

"I'm glad that Maisy gave it to you. Mom would have loved for you to have it."

"Really?"

"Yes. She would have worn it today or given it to you to wear today, because it was that special to her."

"Why?"

"Well, you have snow, I have the stars, and mom had this bracelet. Dad gave it to her on their wedding day, and she wanted to never take it off. Knowing that it was something that Dad spent a lot of money on, she decided that it would be for special occasions only."

"Parties and such?"

"Nope…life occasions really. The best things happened when she was wearing that bracelet. She was wearing it when she had me and Liz, when they closed on their first house together, for each of our birthdays, and I can't even remember what else."

As she looks down at the bracelet, marveling at the history of it, Luke traces his fingers across the chain. "I can't wait for you to wear it again."

"Well, if people are bettin' on us, I'm sure that we've got a pretty interesting, amazing life ahead of us. I'm nearly positive that I won't ever be able to take it off."

"I'm glad." He replies, and then takes in their surroundings, remembering the start of the best relationship of his life. "Lorelai?"

"What?"

"Stand still."

Awwww…. Freaking cute if I have to say! I hope that you like this chapter. I decided that the townsfolk should know about them getting married ahead of time, cause I don't want to see a mean Miss Patty. Anyways, Review if you'd like to, and I'll post as soon as I can!


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